Shloka 153
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
त्रिपुरघ्नरथो यद्वद् गोवृषेण विराजता । पाण्डवोंके आचार्य, तपस्वी ब्राह्मण, गौतमगोत्रीय कृपाचार्यके ध्वजपर एक बैलका सुन्दर चिह्न अंकित था। राजन! उनका वह विशाल रथ उस वृषभचिह्नसे बड़ी शोभा पा रहा था; ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे त्रिपुरनाशक महादेवजीका रथ सुन्दर वृषभचिह्लसे शोभायमान होता था
sañjaya uvāca | tripuraghnaratho yadvad govṛṣeṇa virājatā |
Sanjaya said: Just as the chariot of Tripura’s slayer (Śiva) shines with the splendid emblem of the bull, so too did the great chariot of Kṛpācārya—preceptor of the Pāṇḍavas, an austere brāhmaṇa of the Gautama lineage—appear resplendent, bearing on its banner a beautiful bull-mark. The image underscores martial grandeur framed by sacred symbolism: even amid war, the warrior-teacher’s presence is described through signs associated with dharma, austerity, and divine power.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield description through dharmic and devotional imagery: a warrior-teacher’s martial splendor is legitimized by symbols of austerity and divine association (the bull emblem linked with Śiva), suggesting that power is ideally aligned with restraint, lineage-dharma, and sacred order rather than mere violence.
Sanjaya describes Kṛpācārya’s imposing chariot and its banner bearing a bull emblem, saying it shone brilliantly—comparable to Śiva’s chariot adorned with a bull-mark—thereby highlighting Kripa’s prominence and the awe his presence inspires in the ongoing war.