Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 50
Śalya Installed as Commander; Coalition Agreement and Battle Arrays (शल्यसेनापत्यारोहणं व्यूहवर्णनं च)
इति सत्य ब्रवीम्येष दुर्योधन न संशय: । “मैं रणभूमिमें कुन्तीके सभी पुत्रों और सामने आये हुए सोमकोंपर भी विजय प्राप्त कर लूँगा। इसमें भी संदेह नहीं कि मैं तुम्हारा सेनापति होऊँगा और ऐसे व्यूहका निर्माण करूँगा
iti satyaṁ bravīmy eṣa duryodhana na saṁśayaḥ |
Sañjaya said: “Thus I speak the truth, O Duryodhana—there is no doubt. On the field of battle I shall conquer all the sons of Kuntī, and the Somakas too who come forth to face me. And without doubt I shall be your commander, and I shall form such a vyūha, a battle-array, as the enemy cannot overleap. Duryodhana! This I tell you in truth—there is no doubt.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) as a moral stance even amid war: a leader’s declarations and vows carry ethical weight, and certainty is asserted as a rhetorical and strategic tool.
Sañjaya reports a firm assurance addressed to Duryodhana, emphasizing that the speaker is stating the truth and that there is no doubt—setting a tone of resolve and impending military action.
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