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 ||
Duryodhana sprach: „Wenn du als Kämpfer auf dem Wagen sitzt und der König von Madra, Śalya, als Wagenlenker eingesetzt ist, dann wird dieser vortreffliche Wagen im Getümmel der Schlacht die Söhne der Pṛthā gewiss überwältigen.“
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.