Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 3
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
अत्र मां प्रापय क्षिप्रं पश्य मे सारथे बलम् | न समर्थों हि मे पार्थ: स्थातुमद्य पुरो युधि
atra māṁ prāpaya kṣipraṁ paśya me sārathe balam | na samartho hi me pārthaḥ sthātum adya puro yudhi ||
Sañjaya said: “Bring me there quickly, charioteer. Then behold my strength. Today, in battle, that son of Pṛthā (Yudhiṣṭhira) is not capable of standing before me.” The utterance conveys a surge of martial pride and a desire for immediate confrontation, framing the ethical tension between boastful confidence (often linked with kṣatriya fury and rivalry) and the sobering reality that war tests not only strength but also restraint and discernment.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial pride and the urge to prove one’s prowess can dominate the battlefield mindset; ethically, it invites reflection on the contrast between boastful certainty and the unpredictable, morally weighty consequences of war.
A warrior, addressing his charioteer, demands to be driven swiftly toward the opponent and declares that the son of Pṛthā—identified here as Yudhiṣṭhira—cannot withstand him in combat that day.
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