Shloka 44
महावीर राधापुत्र कर्णने दुर्योधनकी यह बात सुनकर मद्रराज शल्यसे हँसते हुए-से इस प्रकार कहा-- ।। पश्य मे भुजयोरवीर्यमस्त्राणां च जनेश्वर । अद्य हन्मि रणे सर्वान् पञज्चालान् पाण्डुभि: सह
pashya me bhujayor vīryam astrāṇāṃ ca janeśvara | adya hanmi raṇe sarvān pāñcālān pāṇḍubhiḥ saha ||
Sañjaya said: Hearing Duryodhana’s remark about the mighty hero Karṇa, son of Rādhā, the king of Madra—Śalya—spoke with a smile, as if in derision: “O lord of men, behold the strength of my arms and my mastery of weapons. Today, in battle, I shall slay all the Pāñcālas together with the sons of Pāṇḍu.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how pride and martial boasting can intensify conflict: a warrior’s confidence in strength and weapons, when expressed as a vow of total destruction, underscores the ethical peril of letting ego and rivalry override restraint and dharmic reflection in war.
After Duryodhana speaks about Karṇa, Śalya (king of Madra) responds with a smile that suggests mockery or sharp confidence, declaring to Duryodhana that he will demonstrate his own prowess and, that very day, kill the Pāñcālas along with the Pāṇḍavas in battle.