Shloka 2
संजय उवाच तथा ब्रुवन्तं परुषं कर्णो मद्राधिपं तदा । परुषं द्विगुणं भूय: प्रोवाचाप्रियदर्शनम्,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! ऐसी कठोर बात बोलते हुए मद्रराज शल्यसे कर्णने पुनः दूनी कठोरता लिये अप्रिय वचन कहना आरम्भ किया
sañjaya uvāca tathā bruvantaṃ paruṣaṃ karṇo madrādhipaṃ tadā | paruṣaṃ dviguṇaṃ bhūyaḥ provācāpriyadarśanam ||
Sanjaya said: O King, as the lord of Madra, Shalya, spoke such harsh words, Karna—his appearance itself displeasing in that moment—answered again with speech twice as harsh. The exchange shows how anger and wounded pride, once indulged, quickly escalate into greater cruelty, darkening judgment on the eve of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of retaliatory speech: harsh words invite harsher replies, multiplying hostility. It implicitly warns that self-control (especially in speech) is crucial for right judgment and dharmic conduct, particularly in high-stakes situations like war.
Shalya, the king of Madra, has spoken harshly; Karna responds again, but with doubled harshness. Sanjaya reports this to the king, marking the intensifying tension between Karna and his charioteer Shalya during the war narrative.