Shloka 50

Devanagari script

सो5हमेतादृशो भूत्वा नेहारिबलसूदन: । सूतपुत्रस्य संग्रामे सारथ्यं कर्तुमुत्सहे,ऐसा प्रतिष्ठित एवं शत्रुसेनाका संहार करनेमें समर्थ होकर मैं यहाँ युद्धस्थलमें एक सूतपुत्रके सारथिका कार्य कदापि नहीं कर सकता

Transliteration

so ’ham etādṛśo bhūtvā nehāribalasūdanaḥ | sūtaputrasya saṅgrāme sārathyaṃ kartum utsahe ||

Translation

Dijo Śalya: «Aunque soy un hombre así—capaz de aplastar las fuerzas del enemigo—no puedo obligarme, aquí en este campo de batalla, a servir en la guerra como auriga de un simple hijo de auriga».

Word by Word

सःhe / that (I)

अहम्I

एतादृशःsuch as this; of this kind

भूत्वाhaving become

नnot

इहhere

अरिबलसूदनःdestroyer of the enemy forces

सूतपुत्रस्यof the charioteer’s son (Karna)

संग्रामेin battle

सारथ्यम्the role/duty of a charioteer

कर्तुम्to do; to perform

उत्सहेI am able / I dare / I can undertake

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śalya

Karna (implied by “sūtaputra”)

enemy army (ari-bala)

battlefield (implied by saṅgrāma/iha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension between capability and ego: even a powerful warrior may resist rightful duty when pride and social prejudice (here, contempt for “sūtaputra”) override commitment to the larger cause.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya speaks in protest, asserting his own prowess as a destroyer of enemy forces and declaring that he cannot accept the role of charioteer for Karṇa, whom he derides as a “sūta’s son,” revealing a conflict of honor and hierarchy amid preparations for battle.