Shloka 153
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
त्रिपुरघ्नरथो यद्वद् गोवृषेण विराजता । पाण्डवोंके आचार्य, तपस्वी ब्राह्मण, गौतमगोत्रीय कृपाचार्यके ध्वजपर एक बैलका सुन्दर चिह्न अंकित था। राजन! उनका वह विशाल रथ उस वृषभचिह्नसे बड़ी शोभा पा रहा था; ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे त्रिपुरनाशक महादेवजीका रथ सुन्दर वृषभचिह्लसे शोभायमान होता था
sañjaya uvāca | tripuraghnaratho yadvad govṛṣeṇa virājatā |
सञ्जय उवाच—त्रिपुरघ्नस्य रथो यथा गोवृषचिह्नेन विराजते, तथा पाण्डवानामाचार्यस्य तपस्विनो गौतमगोत्रीयस्य कृपाचार्यस्य महत्तरः रथो ध्वजे वृषभचिह्नं वहन् शोभामगमत्, राजन्।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield description through dharmic and devotional imagery: a warrior-teacher’s martial splendor is legitimized by symbols of austerity and divine association (the bull emblem linked with Śiva), suggesting that power is ideally aligned with restraint, lineage-dharma, and sacred order rather than mere violence.
Sanjaya describes Kṛpācārya’s imposing chariot and its banner bearing a bull emblem, saying it shone brilliantly—comparable to Śiva’s chariot adorned with a bull-mark—thereby highlighting Kripa’s prominence and the awe his presence inspires in the ongoing war.