Shloka 276

कृपोपदेशः — द्रौणेरनिद्रा च

Kṛpa’s Counsel and Drauṇi’s Sleepless Resolve

Devanagari script

स पुनर्हदयं कस्य क्रूरस्यापि न निर्दहेत्‌ । *धृष्टद्युम्न तो पिताजीका वध करनेके कारण मेरा वध्य होगा और उसके संगी-साथी जो पांचाल हैं, वे भी उसका साथ देनेके कारण मारे जायँगे। इधर जिसकी जाँघें तोड़ डाली गयी हैं, उस राजा दुर्योधनका जो विलाप मैंने अपने कानों सुना है, वह किस क्रूर मनुष्यके भी हृदयको शोक-दग्ध नहीं कर देगा?

Transliteration

sa punar hṛdayaṁ kasya krūrasyāpi na nirdahēt |

Translation

Kripa said: “And again, whose heart—even if he were cruel—would not be scorched (with grief) by this? Dhrishtadyumna will be slain by me for killing my father, and his companions, the Panchalas, will also be killed for standing with him. And the lament of King Duryodhana—whose thighs have been shattered—which I have heard with my own ears: what man of hard heart would not be burned by sorrow upon hearing it?”

Word by Word

• {'saḥ': 'he

• that (person/thing)', 'punar': 'again

• moreover', 'hṛdayam': 'heart

• inner mind', 'kasya': 'of whom? whose?', 'krūrasya': 'of a cruel/harsh person', 'api': 'even

• also', 'na': 'not', 'nirdahēt': 'would burn

• would scorch (figuratively: with grief)'}

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kṛpa
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• Pañcālas
• Duryodhana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extreme suffering and the hearing of a fallen king’s lament can melt even a hardened heart, while also showing how grief can fuel vows of retribution—raising ethical tension between compassion and vengeance in the aftermath of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sauptika Parva’s aftermath of the great battle, Kṛpa recalls Duryodhana’s grievous condition and lament, and he frames the coming violence against Dhṛṣṭadyumna and the Pañcālas as retaliatory punishment for the killing of his father (Droṇa).