Shloka 3
Adhyāya 35 — Bhīmasena’s Counter-Encirclement and the Karṇa Engagement Escalation
योधे त्वयि रथस्थे च मद्रराजे च सारथौ । रथश्रेष्ठो ध्रुवं संख्ये पार्थानभिभविष्यति
yodhe tvayi rathasthe ca madrarāje ca sārathau | rathaśreṣṭho dhruvaṃ saṅkhye pārthān abhibhaviṣyati ||
قال دوريوذانا: «حين تجلس أنت، أيها المقاتل، على العربة، ويُثبَّت ملكُ مَدْرَة شاليا سائقًا لها، فحينئذٍ ستغلب تلك العربةُ، خيرَ العربات، أبناءَ بريثا في غمار المعركة لا محالة.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata tension: confidence built on external arrangements—chariot, charioteer, and tactical advantage—can foster pride and moral blindness. It implicitly contrasts strategic certainty with the epic’s broader insistence that dharma, not merely skill or equipment, ultimately governs true victory.
Duryodhana is encouraging his side by asserting that if the addressed warrior rides the chariot and Śalya serves as charioteer, their chariot-force will surely defeat the Pāṇḍavas in battle. It is a statement of planned battlefield configuration and anticipated dominance.