| Kripa | |
|---|---|
| Mahabharata character | |
.jpg) A manuscript painting of Kripa during Kurukshetra war | |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Acharya,Chiranjivi |
| Weapon | Bow and arrows |
| Relatives |
|
| Home | Hastinapur,Kuru kingdom |
Kripa (Sanskrit:कृप,lit. 'pity',IAST:Kṛpa), also known asKripacharya (Sanskrit:कृपाचार्य,IAST:Kṛpācārya), is a figure inHindu mythology. According to the epicMahabharata, he was a council member ofKuru kingdom and a teacher of thePandava andKaurava princes. He also a teacher of many warriors mentioned in theMahabharata, includingKarna.
Born to warrior-sage Sharadvan andapsara Janapadi in an extraordinary manner, Kripa and his twin-sister Kripi were adopted by KingShantanu of Kuru Kingdom. Kripa was trained by his birth father and became a great archer like him. Later in the epic, he fought on the Kauravas's side against the Pandavas in theKurukshetra war and was among the three survivors on the Kaurava side, along withAshwatthama andKritavarma.
Kripa is achiranjivi, an immortal being destined to live until the end of theKali Yuga, the lastyuga (age). According to some texts, he will also become one of theSaptarishi—the seven revered sages—in the nextManvantara, which is a cyclic period of time inHindu cosmology.
TheSanskrit word Kripa (Kṛpa) means 'pity' or 'mercy'. According to theMahabharata (c. 700 BCE – 400 CE), he and his sister were named "Kripa" and "Kripi" as they were adopted by KingShantanu out of pity.[1][2][3][4] Kripa was given the title "acharya" ('master') as he was an expert archer.[5][4]
In the epic, Kripa is known by many other names including Gautama ('descendant ofGautama'), Sharadvata ('son of Sharadvan'), Sharadvanputra ('son of Sharadvan') and Bharatacharya ('teacher of the descendants ofBharat').[6][3]
According to theAdi Parva of theMahabharata, a boy named Sharadvan was born tosage Gautama and his wifeAhalya. Contradictory to this account, some later Puranic scriptures such asAgni Purana mention him as Gautama's great-grandson.[1][4] Sharadvan showed great passion inarchery and as he matured, he became a great archer. He once did penance to become indomitable, but this threatened thedevas, especiallyIndra. He then sent a beautifulapsara (celestial nymph), Janapadi, from heaven to distract the celibate saint.[2][1] When Sharadvan saw her, he lost his control and ejaculated. Ashamed of his actions, he left his weapons and went deep into a forest. The semen fell on some weeds, dividing the weeds into two parts. A boy and a girl were born from the weeds.[2][4]
Shantanu, the king ofKuru kingdom, was hunting, when one of his soldiers spotted the twins and brought them to him. Shantanu became compassionate towards them that he adopted them and returned to his palace. The children were then named Kripa and Kripi.[1][2] Sharadvan, who was performingtapas in the forest, heard of his children and went to the palace of Kuru. He revealed their identity to the king and taught Kripa the four branches ofDhanurveda (archery). Kripa became a great archer like his father and taught warfare to many warriors and kings.[1][5][4]
TheAdi Parva mentions that Kripa taught thePandavas,Kauravas,Vrishnis andYadavas aboutDhanurveda.[4] Later, the Pandava and Kaurava princes studied underDrona, Kripi's husband who was born toBharadvaja and apsara Ghritachi in the similar way like her. When the princes' training was over, a test was organised.Karna—the adopted son of a charioteer—challengedArjuna in an archery match, but Kripa interfered and asked Karna to specify his lineage.[6]
TheSabha Parva of the epic narrates that Kripa participated in theRajasuya ritual ofYudhishthira, where he distributeddakshina (fees). In theVirata Parva, Kripa helpedDuryodhana, the eldest Kaurava, by sending spies to find thePandavas during their incognito period of exile.[6]
In theKurukshetra War between the Pandavas and Kauravas, Kripa supported Duryodhana and fought from his side.[4] TheUdyoga Parva of the Mahabharata mentions thatBhishma, commander of the Kaurava army, declared Kripa as a mighty warrior.[7] During the war, Kripa fought with many warriors including Brihatkshetra, Chekitana,Satyaki,Sahadeva,Arjuna,Bhima, Dhrishaketu and Vardhakshremi. He also defeatedShikhandi andYudhamanyu, as well as killedAbhimanyu's guards, Suketu and Kalinda prince. TheShalya Parva mention that Kripa advisedKarna to make peace with the Pandavas. On the 18th day of the war, the Kauravas side was defeated and Duryodhana was killed by Bhima. Kripa cried for him and along withAshwatthama, he massacred the remaining Pandava army during that night and lit the fire at the camp.[6]
TheStri Parva of the epic records Kripa returning toDhritarashtra andGandhari, the parents of the Kauravas, and telling them about the war.[8] In the epic'sAshramavasika Parva, when Dhritarashtra decided to retire to the forest, Kripa wanted to accompany him. However, Dhritarashtra stopped him and advised Yudhishthira, the new emperor of Kuru Kingdom, to make Kripa a council member. When the Pandavas also retired to the Himalayas after many years, Kripa became the preceptor ofParikshit, the grandson of Arjuna. It is believed that after fulfilling his duties, Kripa finally went to the forest for penance and lived the rest of his life.[6]
InHinduism, Kripa is described as aChiranjivi, an "immortal" who will remain alive until the end of theKali Yuga, the last of the fouryugas (age). According to some scriptures, Kripa was blessed with immortality because of his discipline, loyalty and impartial nature.
According to theVishnu Purana (c. 400 BCE – 900 CE), Kripa will become one of theSaptarishi, the seven most revered sages, in the nextManvantara, which is a cyclic period of time identifying the age of aManu, the progenitor of mankind, inHindu cosmology.[9][10]
The Sapta Chiranjivi Stotram is a mantra that is featured inHindu literature:
aśvatthāmā balirvyāsō hanumāṁśca vibhīṣaṇaḥ।
kṛpaḥ paraśurāmaśca saptaitai cirañjīvinaḥ॥
saptaitān saṁsmarēnnityaṁ mārkaṇḍēyamathāṣṭamam।
jīvēdvarṣaśataṁ sopi sarvavyādhivivarjitaḥ॥
— Sapta Chiranjivi Stotram
The mantra states that the remembrance of the eight immortals until end of kalyuga (Ashwatthama,Mahabali,Vyasa,Hanuman,Vibhishana, Kripa,Parashurama, andMarkandeya) offers one freedom from ailments and longevity.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)| Traditional author and narrators |  | |
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