Shloka 18
अर्जुन-कर्ण-सङ्ग्रामः
Arjuna–Karna Engagement in the Cattle-Raid Aftermath
अस्माभिह्दोष निकृतो वर्षाणीह त्रयोदश । सिंह: पाशविनिर्मुक्तो न न: शेष॑ करिष्यति
asmābhir doṣa-nikṛto varṣāṇīha trayodaśa | siṁhaḥ pāśa-vinirmukto na naḥ śeṣaṁ kariṣyati ||
クリパは言った。「この地で十三年、我らは彼らに罪を重ね、森に追いやり、欺きもって遇してきた。いま彼らは誓いの縛りから解き放たれた。罠を脱した獅子のように、我らのうち一人たりとも生かしてはおくまい。しかも我らは知らずして、ここに孤然と立つクンティの子アルジュナに近づいてしまった—井の底に隠れた火のごとき者に。かくして我らは深い恐怖と危難に落ちたのだ。」
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrongdoing and deceit create moral liability and fear of just consequences; when those who were restrained by vows become free, the wrongdoer anticipates retribution, illustrating the ethical weight of adharma.
After the Pandavas’ thirteen-year term is complete, Kripa warns the Kaurava side that they have provoked the Pandavas through treachery and now, having encountered Arjuna, they face imminent danger—likened to meeting a lion freed from a trap or hidden fire suddenly discovered.