Shloka 16
Karṇa-vadha-pratyaya: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Verification of Karṇa’s Fall (कर्णवध-प्रत्ययः)
कृपश्च कृतवर्मा च शकुनिश्चापि सौबल:
sañjaya uvāca | kṛpaś ca kṛtavarmā ca śakuniś cāpi saubalaḥ, śūrasenaiḥ śūravaraiḥ yuyudhur yuddha-durmadāḥ |
サンジャヤは言った。クリパ、クリタヴァルマー、そしてスバラの子シャクニ—戦の狂熱に酔う武者たち—は、シュūrasenaの第一の勇士らとともに、激烈な戦いに身を投じた。この句は、老練な将たちが怒りと武の昂揚に駆られて戦へ押し入り、破壊をいっそう深めるさまを示す。そこには『マハーバーラタ』が繰り返し語る倫理の緊張—武勇と忠誠が、憤怒と野望に利用され得る—が響いている。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial skill and leadership, when fueled by anger and the intoxication of combat (yuddha-durmada), can accelerate violence. It reflects the epic’s ethical concern that valor without restraint and discernment (viveka) becomes a force of ruin, even when performed under the banner of duty.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, and Śakuni (son of Subala) are actively engaging in battle, fighting together with prominent Śūrasena heroes. It situates these Kaurava-aligned commanders in the thick of the fighting as the war intensifies.