Shloka 276

कृपोपदेशः — द्रौणेरनिद्रा च

Kṛpa’s Counsel and Drauṇi’s Sleepless Resolve

Devanagari script

स पुनर्हदयं कस्य क्रूरस्यापि न निर्दहेत्‌ । *धृष्टद्युम्न तो पिताजीका वध करनेके कारण मेरा वध्य होगा और उसके संगी-साथी जो पांचाल हैं

Transliteration

sa punar hṛdayaṁ kasya krūrasyāpi na nirdahēt |

Translation

Kṛpa dit : «Et encore, quel cœur—fût-il cruel—ne serait pas brûlé par cela ? Dhrishtadyumna sera mis à mort par moi pour avoir tué mon père, et ses compagnons, les Pañcāla, seront aussi tués pour l’avoir soutenu. Et la plainte du roi Duryodhana—dont les cuisses ont été brisées—que j’ai entendue de mes propres oreilles : quel homme au cœur dur ne serait pas consumé de chagrin en l’entendant ?»

Word by Word

• {'saḥ': 'he

• that (person/thing)', 'punar': 'again

• moreover', 'hṛdayam': 'heart

• inner mind', 'kasya': 'of whom? whose?', 'krūrasya': 'of a cruel/harsh person', 'api': 'even

• also', 'na': 'not', 'nirdahēt': 'would burn

• would scorch (figuratively: with grief)'}

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kṛpa
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• Pañcālas
• Duryodhana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extreme suffering and the hearing of a fallen king’s lament can melt even a hardened heart, while also showing how grief can fuel vows of retribution—raising ethical tension between compassion and vengeance in the aftermath of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sauptika Parva’s aftermath of the great battle, Kṛpa recalls Duryodhana’s grievous condition and lament, and he frames the coming violence against Dhṛṣṭadyumna and the Pañcālas as retaliatory punishment for the killing of his father (Droṇa).