Shloka 46
कर्णभीमसमागमः | Karṇa–Bhīma Encounter
नियच्छ तुरगान् युद्धे राधेयस्य महाद्युते । महाराज! जैसे देवताओंने महादेवजीसे भी बड़े ब्रह्माजीको उनका सारथि चुना था
niyaccha turagān yuddhe rādheyasya mahādyute | yat tu vidvan pravakṣyāmi pratyayārtham ahaṃ tava | ātmanaḥ stava-saṃyuktaṃ tan nibodha yathātatham ||
Duryodhana said: “In this battle, restrain and guide the horses of the radiant Rādheya (Karna). And now, learned one, to strengthen your confidence, I shall speak words that include praise of myself; listen to them exactly as they truly are.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield duty and the ethics of persuasion: effective leadership in war requires competent control of the chariot team, and speech is used strategically to secure an ally’s confidence—even when it involves self-praise—while urging the listener to judge the claim by truth (yathātatham).
Duryodhana addresses a learned charioteer figure (contextually, Karna’s charioteer) and commands him to control Karna’s horses in the fight. He then prepares to deliver a confidence-building argument, explicitly noting that he will speak words containing self-praise and asking the listener to hear them as they truly are.