Shloka 17
कृपोपदेशः — द्रौणेरनिद्रा च
Kṛpa’s Counsel and Drauṇi’s Sleepless Resolve
मया त्वां सहितं संख्ये गुप्तं च कृतवर्मणा । न सहेत विभु: साक्षाद् वज़पाणिरपि स्वयम्,युद्धस्थलमें जब तुम मेरे साथ खड़े होओगे और कृतवर्मा तुम्हारी रक्षामें लगे होंगे, उस समय हाथमें वज्र लिये हुए साक्षात् देवसम्राट् इन्द्र भी तुम्हारा वेग नहीं सह सकेंगे
mayā tvāṁ sahitaṁ saṅkhye guptaṁ ca kṛtavarmaṇā | na saheta vibhuḥ sākṣād vajrapāṇir api svayam ||
Kṛpa said: “If you stand in battle together with me, and Kṛtavarman is set to guard you, then even the mighty lord Indra himself—bearing the thunderbolt in his hand—would not be able to withstand your onrush.”
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the martial ideal of confidence grounded in comradeship and protection: strength is amplified by loyal allies. Ethically, it also shows how war-speech can escalate through hyperbolic comparisons—even invoking Indra—to embolden action.
In the Sauptika Parva’s tense aftermath of the war, Kṛpa addresses his companion, asserting that if they fight together and Kṛtavarman guards him, the opponent’s force would be irresistible—so great that even Indra with the vajra could not withstand it.