Shloka 39
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 114 — Karṇa–Bhīmasena Missile Exchange, Disarmament, and Arjuna’s Intervention
कृपं च सौमदत्तिं च द्रोणं च रथिनां वरम् | सिन्धुराजं तथा कर्णमवमन्यत पाण्डवान्
sañjaya uvāca |
kṛpaṃ ca saumadattiṃ ca droṇaṃ ca rathināṃ varam |
sindhurājaṃ tathā karṇam avamanyata pāṇḍavān |
Sañjaya said: He held the Pāṇḍavas in contempt—Kṛpa, Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas), Droṇa the foremost of chariot-warriors, the king of Sindhu, and Karṇa as well. The line underscores how pride in powerful allies can harden into moral blindness, feeding the arrogance that drives the war’s cruelty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how contempt (avamāna) born of reliance on powerful supporters can distort judgment and weaken dharmic discernment. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, arrogance toward worthy opponents is a seed of adharma that accelerates ruin.
Sañjaya reports that the speaker’s subject (contextually, the Kaurava side’s leader) looked down upon the Pāṇḍavas, confident in formidable champions—Kṛpa, Bhūriśravas, Droṇa, Jayadratha, and Karṇa—thus setting the tone of overconfidence amid the Drona Parva battles.