Shloka 32
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
संजय उवाच इति रणरभसस्य कत्थत- स्तदुत निशम्य वच: स मद्रराट् । अवहसदवमन्य वीर्यवान् प्रतिषिषिधे च जगाद चोत्तरम्,संजय कहते हैं--राजन! पराक्रमी मद्रराज शल्य युद्धके उत्साहमें भरकर बढ़-बढ़कर बातें बनानेवाले कर्णके उस कथनको सुनकर उसकी अवहेलना करके उपहास करने लगे। उन्होंने फिर ऐसी बातें कहनेसे कर्णको रोका और इस प्रकार उत्तर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | iti raṇarabhāsasya katthataḥ tad u ta niśamya vacaḥ sa madrarāṭ | avahasada avamanya vīryavān pratiṣiṣidhe ca jagāda cottaram ||
Sañjaya said: O King, hearing those boastful words of Karṇa—spoken in the heat and frenzy of battle—the valiant ruler of Madra, Śalya, mocked him in contempt. He checked Karṇa from speaking further in that vein and then replied with his own answer.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethical tension: uncontrolled boastfulness (katthā) and pride in the heat of war invite censure. Śalya’s act of restraining speech suggests that words, like weapons, should be governed—excessive self-praise and contemptuous talk undermine judgment and right conduct.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śalya, the king of Madra serving as Karṇa’s charioteer, hears Karṇa’s inflated battle-talk, laughs at him with contempt, stops him from continuing, and then begins his own reply—setting up the ensuing exchange between Śalya and Karṇa.