Shloka 20
अध्याय ८ — शल्यस्य सत्कारः, वरदानं, पाण्डवसमागमश्च (Śalya’s Reception, the Boon, and Meeting the Pāṇḍavas)
शल्य उवाच गच्छ दुर्योधन पुरं स्वकमेव नरर्षभ । अहं गमिष्ये द्रष्ट वै युधिष्ठिरमरिंदमम्
śalya uvāca gaccha duryodhana puraṁ svakām eva nararṣabha | ahaṁ gamiṣye draṣṭuṁ vai yudhiṣṭhiram arindamam ||
Śalya sprach: „Geh, Duryodhana, in deine eigene Stadt, wie es dir beliebt, o Stier unter den Menschen. Ich aber werde wahrlich hingehen, um Yudhiṣṭhira zu sehen, den Bezwinger der Feinde.“
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how personal choice and political intent shape alliances: Duryodhana is told to proceed as he wishes, while Śalya asserts his own agency to meet Yudhiṣṭhira. It underscores that in dharma-and-war contexts, decisions are not merely logistical but ethically and strategically consequential.
Śalya addresses Duryodhana, telling him to return to his city according to his preference, while Śalya himself intends to go and meet Yudhiṣṭhira. The line signals a divergence of immediate paths and foreshadows the complex role Śalya will play amid the approaching conflict.