Shloka 5
अर्जुन-कर्ण-सङ्ग्रामः
Arjuna–Karna Engagement in the Cattle-Raid Aftermath
परिचिन्त्य तु पार्थेन संनिपातों न न: क्षम: । एक: कुरूनभ्यगच्छदेकश्चाग्निमतर्पयत्
paricintya tu pārthena sannipāto na naḥ kṣamaḥ | ekaḥ kurūn abhyagacchad ekaś cāgnim atarpayat ||
Kṛpa dit : «À y bien réfléchir, il est clair qu’il ne nous convient pas d’engager le combat contre Arjuna. Car, à lui seul, il peut nous vaincre. Seul, il marcha contre les Kurus du Nord (Uttara Kuru) et les soumit ; et seul, il rassasia Agni en lui offrant la forêt de Khāṇḍava.»
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛpa urges prudent, dharma-aware restraint: one should not rush into a battle that is unfitting and strategically unsound, especially against a warrior whose proven prowess makes the conflict both dangerous and morally questionable.
In the Virāṭa episode, Kṛpa counsels the Kaurava side by recalling Arjuna’s extraordinary past exploits—his victory over the Northern Kurus and the Khāṇḍava episode with Agni—to argue that confronting Arjuna in open combat is unwise.