Shloka 34
Kṛpa’s Archery Display; Śikhaṇḍin Checked; Suketu Slain; Dhṛṣṭadyumna–Kṛtavarmā Clash (कृपशौर्य–पार्षतहार्दिक्ययुद्धम्)
यथाखुः स्याद् विडालबश्न श्वा व्याप्रश्न बलाबले । यथा शृगाल: सिंहश्व यथा च शशकुञ्जरौ,“जैसे चूहा और बिलाव, कुत्ता और बाघ, गीदड़ और सिंह तथा खरगोश और हाथी अपनी निर्बलता और प्रबलताके लिये प्रसिद्ध हैं, उसी प्रकार तुम निर्बल हो और अर्जुन सबल हैं
yathākhuḥ syād viḍālabhakṣyaḥ śvā vyāghrasya balābale | yathā śṛgālaḥ siṁhasya yathā ca śaśakūñjarau ||
Sañjaya said: “Just as a mouse is prey to a cat, a dog to a tiger—just as a jackal is no match for a lion, and a hare for an elephant—so too is the disparity of strength here: you are the weaker, and Arjuna is the stronger.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches sober discernment in conflict: one should recognize relative strength and weakness rather than be driven by pride or rashness. The animal similes underline that mismatched contests invite ruin, so counsel should be grounded in reality and proportion.
Sañjaya, narrating the battlefield events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, uses a chain of vivid comparisons (prey vs predator) to stress an imbalance of power: the addressed warrior is portrayed as comparatively weak, while Arjuna is presented as decisively strong.