Крипа
यावत् पार्थशरैर् घोरैर् निर्मुक्तोरगसंनिभैः ॥
न भस्मीक्रियते राजा तावद् युद्धान् निवार्यताम् ॥
अयुक्तम् इव पश्यामि तिष्ठत्स्व् अस्मासु मानद ॥
स्वयं युद्धाय यद् राजा पार्थं यात्य् असहायवान् ॥
दुर्लभं जीवितं मन्ये कौरव्यस्य किरीटिना ॥
युध्यमानस्य पार्थेन शार्दूलेनेव हस्तिनः ॥
yāvat pārthaśarair ghorair nirmuktoragasaṃnibhaiḥ ||
na bhasmīkriyate rājā tāvad yuddhān nivāryatām ||
ayuktam iva paśyāmi tiṣṭhatsv asmāsu mānada ||
svayaṃ yuddhāya yad rājā pārthaṃ yāty asahāyavān ||
durlabhaṃ jīvitaṃ manye kauravyasya kirīṭinā ||
yudhyamānasya pārthena śārdūleneva hastinaḥ ||
'While the king is not yet turned to ash by Partha's terrible arrows, resembling emerged serpents, let him until then be held back from battle. I see it as improper, while we stand nearby, O bestower of honor, that the king himself goes to battle against Partha without support. I deem the Kauravya's life hard to preserve when fighting with the Diademed Partha -- as an elephant's [life] against a tiger.'
b577a69c35a2 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:40:45 PM UTC
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Kripa is ashamed to let the king go alone to his death 'while we stand by': the honor of companions is not to let their leader fall in vain. The comparison is telling -- an elephant against a tiger: for all the king's might, the outcome is foredoomed. The verse teaches that it is the duty of those close to a leader to shield him from reckless death; and to stand idle while he goes to his death is dishonor for those charged to guard him.