Shloka 95
सूतपुत्र॑ सदुर्धर्ष शल्यं च बलिनां बरम्,'पार्थ! अत्यन्त दुर्जय वीर सूतपुत्र कर्ण, बलवानोंमें श्रेष्ठ शल्य तथा युद्धमें इन्द्रके समान पराक्रमी एवं बलवानोंमें अग्रगण्य द्रोणाचार्यको युद्धमें परास्त किये बिना तुम यहाँ राज्य कैसे लेना चाहते हो?
Sañjaya uvāca: Sūtaputraḥ sa-durdharṣaḥ Śalyaṃ ca balināṃ varam, Pārtha! atyanta-durjayo vīraḥ sūtaputraḥ Karṇaḥ, balavānāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ Śalyaḥ tathā yuddhe Indra-samāna-parākramī ca balavānām agragaṇyo Droṇācāryaṃ yuddhe parājitya vinā tvaṃ iha rājyaṃ kathaṃ grahītuṃ icchasi?
Sañjaya said: “O Pārtha, how do you mean to take the kingdom here without first defeating in battle Karṇa, the charioteer’s son—heroic, utterly unconquerable and hard to assail—together with Śalya, foremost among the mighty, and Droṇa, preeminent among the powerful, whose prowess in war is like Indra’s?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sovereignty in the kshatriya ethic is not merely inherited or demanded; it is validated by confronting and overcoming the foremost defenders. Sanjaya frames political claim as inseparable from the moral and practical test of battle against the greatest warriors.
Sanjaya addresses Partha, stressing that the Pandavas cannot realistically or rightly expect to seize the kingdom unless they defeat the key Kaurava champions—Karna, Shalya, and Drona—whose strength and battlefield prowess are portrayed as exceptional.