Shloka 40
शल्य उवाच आतुराणां परित्याग: स्वदारसुतविक्रय: । अड़े प्रवर्तते कर्ण येषामधिपतिर्भवान्,शल्य बोले--कर्ण! तुम जहाँके राजा बनाये गये हो, उस अंगदेशमें क्या होता है? अपने सगे-सम्बन्धी जब रोगसे पीड़ित हो जाते हैं तो उनका परित्याग कर दिया जाता है। अपनी ही स्त्री और बच्चोंको वहाँके लोग सरे बाजार बेचते हैं
śalya uvāca | āturāṇāṁ parityāgaḥ svadāra-suta-vikrayaḥ | aṅge pravartate karṇa yeṣām adhipatir bhavān |
Śalya said: “Karna, in the land of Aṅga—over which you have been made the ruler—such practices are said to prevail: when one’s own kin fall sick, they are abandoned; and people even sell their own wives and children in the marketplace.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns adharma in social and familial duties: abandoning sick relatives and commodifying one’s own family are presented as morally corrupt practices, used here to shame a ruler by implying failure of righteous governance and community values.
On the battlefield, Śalya—serving as Karna’s charioteer—provokes and demoralizes Karna by deriding the land of Aṅga, where Karna was made king, accusing its people of heartless and disgraceful customs.