Shloka 5
अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः
Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation
अभिन्ञानं नरेन्द्राणां विक्षतं प्रेक्ष्य संयुगे । कृपाविष्ट: कृपो राजन् वयःशीलसमन्वित:
sañjaya uvāca | abhinānaṃ narendrāṇāṃ vikṣataṃ prekṣya saṃyuge | kṛpāviṣṭaḥ kṛpo rājan vayaḥśīlasamanvitaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô Roi, voyant sur le champ de bataille les insignes royaux — étendards et marques de souveraineté — déchirés et brisés au milieu du choc des armes, Kṛpa, pourvu d’un âge mûr et d’une conduite noble, fut saisi de compassion. La ruine des emblèmes de la royauté et la souffrance des guerriers éveillèrent en lui un élan d’humanité, annonçant un conseil destiné à raffermir un esprit ébranlé par le chagrin et la peur.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid righteous duty and the harshness of war, mature character (śīla) is shown by the capacity for compassion. The verse highlights that ethical sensitivity is not weakness; it is the ground from which wise counsel and restraint can arise when minds are destabilized by loss.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene where the kings’ identifying emblems are destroyed. Witnessing this devastation, the elder warrior-teacher Kṛpa is moved by pity, preparing to approach and speak—contextually, to counsel the Kaurava leadership shaken by the tide of battle.