Shloka 41
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
एवं तस्मिन् महाराज कल्पिते रथसत्तमे । देवैर्मनुजशार्दूल द्विषतामभिमर्दने
evaṁ tasmin mahārāja kalpite rathasattame | devair manujaśārdūla dviṣatām abhimardane || puruṣasiṁha mahārāja | evaṁ devaiḥ śatrūṇāṁ mardana-kṣame tasmin śreṣṭhe rathe nirmite bhagavān śaṅkaraḥ tasya upari svāni mukhya-mukhyāni astrāṇi śastrāṇi ca nyadhāt | dhvajadaṇḍaṁ cākāśavyāpiṇaṁ kṛtvā tasya upari vṛṣabhaṁ nandinaṁ pratiṣṭhāpya ||
Duryodhana dijo: «Oh gran rey, tigre entre los hombres, aplastador de enemigos: cuando los dioses hubieron forjado así aquel carro excelso, el bienaventurado Señor Śaṅkara colocó sobre él sus armas más eminentes; y, haciendo que el asta de su estandarte alcanzara el cielo, asentó en lo alto a su toro Nandin.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war in the Mahābhārata is framed not only as human strategy but as a theatre of symbols and perceived divine endorsement. The sky-reaching banner and Śiva’s weapons signify authority and morale—yet the epic repeatedly warns that divine signs do not replace dharma; legitimacy is ultimately tested by conduct and consequence.
Duryodhana describes a supreme chariot fashioned by the gods. After its completion, Śiva (Śaṅkara) places his principal weapons upon it and sets his bull Nandin atop the chariot’s towering flagstaff, marking the chariot with Śiva’s emblem and suggesting formidable, divinely marked martial power.