Shloka 86
काकोपमोपदेशः
The Crow-and-Swan Exemplum as Counsel to Karṇa
युधिष्ठिरस्याभिमुखं प्रेषयामास संयुगे । राजा दुर्योधनसे इस प्रकार प्रेरित होकर सारथिने उस उत्तम रथको राजा युधिष्ठिरके सामने बढ़ाया
yudhiṣṭhirasyābhimukhaṃ preṣayāmāsa saṃyuge | rājā duryodhanas tasya prakāraṃ prerito 'tha sārathinā tam uttamaṃ rathaṃ rājñaḥ yudhiṣṭhirasya sammukhaṃ vardhayāmāsa |
Sañjaya berkata: Di tengah kancah pertempuran, Raja Duryodhana memerintahkan agar kereta diarahkan lurus menghadap Yudhiṣṭhira. Dengan dorongan demikian, ia menyuruh saisnya memajukan kereta yang unggul itu untuk berhadapan dengan Yudhiṣṭhira.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how decisive leadership in war can intensify direct confrontation; it implicitly raises the ethical tension between kṣatriya resolve and the moral cost of escalating violence.
Duryodhana orders his charioteer to drive the chariot straight toward Yudhiṣṭhira, setting up a face-to-face engagement in the ongoing battle.