Shloka 1
Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)
अफड--णरू- षड्विशो<5ध्याय: कृपाचार्यसे धृष्टद्युम्मनका भय तथा कृतवमकि द्वारा शिखण्डीकी पराजय संजय उवाच धृष्टद्युम्न॑ कृपो राजन् वारयामास संयुगे । यथा दृष्टवा वने सिंहं शरभो वारयेद् युधि
sañjaya uvāca | dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ kṛpo rājan vārayāmāsa saṃyuge | yathā dṛṣṭvā vane siṃhaṃ śarabho vārayed yudhi ||
Sanjaya said: O King, in the thick of battle Kripa checked Dhrishtadyumna—just as, on seeing a lion in the forest, a śarabha would hold it back in combat. The simile underscores the ferocity and resolve with which the elder warrior restrained his foe amid the moral turbulence of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intensity of martial opposition and the role of steadfast resistance in war; through the śarabha–lion simile it conveys that a seasoned warrior can decisively check even a formidable adversary, reflecting the harsh discipline of kṣatriya conflict.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Kripa confronted and restrained Dhrishtadyumna on the battlefield, comparing Kripa’s act of checking him to a śarabha holding back a lion in combat.