Shloka 86
काकोपमोपदेशः
The Crow-and-Swan Exemplum as Counsel to Karṇa
युधिष्ठिरस्याभिमुखं प्रेषयामास संयुगे । राजा दुर्योधनसे इस प्रकार प्रेरित होकर सारथिने उस उत्तम रथको राजा युधिष्ठिरके सामने बढ़ाया
yudhiṣṭhirasyābhimukhaṃ preṣayāmāsa saṃyuge | rājā duryodhanas tasya prakāraṃ prerito 'tha sārathinā tam uttamaṃ rathaṃ rājñaḥ yudhiṣṭhirasya sammukhaṃ vardhayāmāsa |
Disse Sañjaya: No auge do combate, o rei Duryodhana ordenou que a carruagem fosse conduzida diretamente contra Yudhiṣṭhira. Assim instigado, fez com que seu cocheiro avançasse o excelente carro para enfrentá-lo—sinal de confronto deliberado e de uma determinação que se endurece sob a tensão moral da guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how decisive leadership in war can intensify direct confrontation; it implicitly raises the ethical tension between kṣatriya resolve and the moral cost of escalating violence.
Duryodhana orders his charioteer to drive the chariot straight toward Yudhiṣṭhira, setting up a face-to-face engagement in the ongoing battle.