Shloka 19
Aśvatthāman’s Admonition to Karṇa on Boasting, Varṇa-Duties, and the Threat of Arjuna
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 45
दारुको वासुदेवस्य यथा शक्रस्य मातलि: । तथा मां विद्धि सारथ्ये शिक्षितं नरपुड़व,नरपुंगव! जैसे भगवान् वासुदेवका सारथि दारुक और इन्द्रका सारथि मातलि है, उसी प्रकार मुझे भी आप सारथिके कार्यमें पूर्ण शिक्षित मानिये
dāruko vāsudevasya yathā śakrasya mātaliḥ | tathā māṃ viddhi sārathye śikṣitaṃ narapuṅgava ||
Uttara said: “Just as Dāruka serves as the charioteer of Vāsudeva, and Mātali serves as the charioteer of Śakra (Indra), so too, O best of men, know me to be fully trained in the duties of a charioteer.”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Competence in one’s assigned role (here, charioteering) is a form of dharma: confidence should rest on training and readiness, and great undertakings succeed through dependable support roles as much as through heroic action.
Uttara speaks to reassure his companion by claiming he is well-trained as a charioteer, comparing himself to famed divine charioteers—Dāruka of Kṛṣṇa and Mātali of Indra—to bolster morale and credibility in a tense martial situation.