Shloka 86

काकोपमोपदेशः

The Crow-and-Swan Exemplum as Counsel to Karṇa

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिरस्याभिमुखं प्रेषयामास संयुगे । राजा दुर्योधनसे इस प्रकार प्रेरित होकर सारथिने उस उत्तम रथको राजा युधिष्ठिरके सामने बढ़ाया

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhirasyābhimukhaṃ preṣayāmāsa saṃyuge | rājā duryodhanas tasya prakāraṃ prerito 'tha sārathinā tam uttamaṃ rathaṃ rājñaḥ yudhiṣṭhirasya sammukhaṃ vardhayāmāsa |

Translation

Sañjaya thưa: Giữa cơn giao chiến, vua Duryodhana ra lệnh cho đánh xe tiến thẳng về phía Yudhiṣṭhira. Bị thúc giục như thế, ông truyền cho người đánh xe đưa cỗ chiến xa tuyệt hảo tiến lên đối diện Yudhiṣṭhira—một hành động cố ý thách thức, biểu lộ ý chí đã trở nên cứng rắn giữa gánh nặng đạo lý của chiến tranh.

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरस्य: of Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• अभिमुखम्: facing; towards (in front of)
• अभिमुखम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभिमुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रेषयामास: sent; caused to be driven
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रेष्
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic), Third, Singular

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Duryodhana
• sārathi (charioteer)
• ratha (chariot)
• saṃyuga (battlefield)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana orders his charioteer to drive the chariot straight toward Yudhiṣṭhira, setting up a face-to-face engagement in the ongoing battle.