Shloka 25
कर्णवधोत्तरं शल्य-दुर्योधनसंवादः
Aftermath of Karṇa’s Fall: Śalya’s Address to Duryodhana
त्वष्टा कृतं वाहमकूजनाक्ष॑ शुभं समास्थाय कपिध्वजं तम् | खडगं गृहीत्वा हेमपट्टानुबद्धं धनुश्चेदं गाण्डिवं तालमात्रम्
tvaṣṭā kṛtaṃ vāham akūjanākṣaṃ śubhaṃ samāsthāya kapidhvajaṃ tam | khaḍgaṃ gṛhītvā hemapaṭṭānubaddhaṃ dhanuś cedaṃ gāṇḍivaṃ tālamātram ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «Subiendo al carro auspicioso forjado por Tvaṣṭṛ, y tomando su puesto en el guerrero del estandarte del mono, empuñó una espada ceñida con guarniciones de oro, y también este arco Gāṇḍīva, poderoso, de la talla de una palmera—y así se dispuso para la obra de la batalla, justa y terrible.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined readiness in the service of duty: sacred symbols (the monkey-banner), divine craftsmanship (Tvaṣṭṛ’s chariot), and formidable weapons are not for vanity but for fulfilling kṣatriya responsibility in a morally fraught war.
Sañjaya describes a warrior (identified by the monkey-banner and the Gāṇḍīva as Arjuna) mounting the auspicious, divinely crafted chariot and taking up sword and bow, signaling immediate preparation to engage in the battle events of Karṇa Parva.