Shloka 32

कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan

Adhyāya 31

Devanagari script

शल्य उवाच अवमन्यसि गान्धारे ध्रुवं च परिशड्कसे । यन्मां ब्रवीषि विश्रब्धं सारथ्यं क्रियतामिति,शल्यने कहा--गान्धारीपुत्र! तुम मेरा अपमान कर रहे हो, निश्चय ही तुम्हारे मनमें मेरे प्रति संदेह है, तभी तुम निर्भय होकर कह रहे हो कि आप “*सारथिका कार्य कीजिये' इति श्रीमहा भारते कर्णपर्वणि शल्यसारथ्ये द्वात्रिंशोडध्याय:

Transliteration

śalya uvāca | avamanyasi gāndhāre dhruvaṃ ca pariśaṅkase | yan māṃ bravīṣi viśrabdhaṃ sārathyaṃ kriyatām iti ||

Translation

Śalya said: “O son of Gāndhārī, you are slighting me, and surely you harbor suspicion toward me. That is why you speak to me so boldly, saying, ‘Perform the office of charioteer for me.’”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'śalya uvāca', 'definition': 'Śalya said'}, {'term': 'avamanyasi', 'definition': 'you disrespect, you slight, you treat with contempt'}, {'term': 'gāndhāre', 'definition': 'O son of Gāndhārī (vocative

• i.e., a Kaurava prince, here addressed pointedly)'}, {'term': 'dhruvam', 'definition': 'surely, certainly'}, {'term': 'ca', 'definition': 'and'}, {'term': 'pariśaṅkase', 'definition': 'you suspect, you mistrust, you are apprehensive about'}, {'term': 'yat', 'definition': 'because, since

• that which'}, {'term': 'mām', 'definition': 'me'}, {'term': 'bravīṣi', 'definition': 'you say, you speak'}, {'term': 'viśrabdham', 'definition': 'confidently, without hesitation

• familiarly'}, {'term': 'sārathyam', 'definition': 'the role/duty of a charioteer'}, {'term': 'kriyatām', 'definition': 'let it be done

• please do (imperative/passive sense)'}, {'term': 'iti', 'definition': 'thus, so (quotative particle)'}]

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śalya
• Gāndhārī (as ‘son of Gāndhārī’)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension between rank and duty: commanding someone into a subordinate role (charioteer) without mutual respect breeds mistrust. It underscores that effective cooperation in dharma and warfare depends on honor, consent, and confidence rather than coercion or contempt.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya responds sharply to a Kaurava prince addressed as ‘son of Gāndhārī,’ accusing him of disrespect and suspicion. Śalya interprets the prince’s bold request—‘be my charioteer’—as evidence of strained relations and a lack of trust, setting the tone for a tense exchange about service, status, and intent.