Shloka 68
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
सो5भिवाद्य कृपं राजा कृत्वा चापि प्रदक्षिणम् । उवाच दुर्धर्षतमं वाक््यं वाक्यविदां वर:,उन्हें नमस्कार करके उनकी परिक्रमा करनेके पश्चात् वक्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ राजा युधिष्ठिरने दुर्धर्ष वीर कृपाचार्यसे कहा--
so ’bhivādya kṛpaṃ rājā kṛtvā cāpi pradakṣiṇam | uvāca durdharṣatamaṃ vākyaṃ vākyavidāṃ varaḥ ||
Having respectfully saluted Kṛpa and also circumambulated him, King Yudhiṣṭhira—foremost among skilled speakers—addressed the most unassailable Kṛpācārya with words that were difficult to withstand. The scene underscores the ethic of honoring elders and teachers even amid the harsh necessities of war, where right conduct (maryādā) must be preserved alongside strategic speech.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the midst of conflict, dharma is upheld through reverence toward elders and teachers; ethical speech and proper conduct (salutation and pradakṣiṇā) frame difficult conversations and decisions.
Sañjaya narrates that King Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully greets Kṛpācārya and circumambulates him, then speaks to him—setting a formal, dharmic tone before delivering weighty words in the war context.