Shloka 2
कृपकर्णसंवादः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Karṇa on Deśa-Kāla and Coordinated Strategy
क्व नु स्विदर्जुन: पार्थ: कौरव्यो वा युधिष्ठिर: । नकुलः सहदेवश्न भीमसेनश्ल पाण्डव:,उत्तरने पूछा-बृहन्नले! रणमें फुर्ती दिखानेवाले जिन महात्मा दुन्तीपुत्रोंके ये सुवर्णभूषित सुन्दर आयुध इतने प्रकाशित हो रहे हैं, वे पृथापुत्र अर्जुन, कुरुनन्दन युधिष्ठिर, नकुल, सहदेव और पाण्डुपुत्र भीमसेन अब कहाँ हैं?
kva nu svid arjunaḥ pārthaḥ kauravyo vā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca bhīmasenaś ca pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Uttara said: “Where indeed are Arjuna, the son of Pṛthā, and Yudhiṣṭhira of the Kuru line? Where are Nakula and Sahadeva, and Bhīmasena the Pāṇḍava? The splendid, gold-adorned weapons that shine so brilliantly—belonging to those swift and mighty sons of Pāṇḍu—where are those great heroes now?”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights recognition of true worth through signs of virtue and capability: the brilliance of the weapons points to the greatness of their owners. It also underscores the ethical tension of the Virāṭa episode—great warriors living incognito, with dharma requiring restraint and concealment until the proper time.
Prince Uttara, seeing the radiant, gold-adorned weapons associated with renowned warriors, asks where the Pāṇḍavas—Arjuna, Yudhiṣṭhira, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Bhīma—are now. This occurs in the Virāṭa Parva context where the Pāṇḍavas are in disguise, and their hidden arms and identities become a point of inquiry.