Shloka 9
कर्णवधोत्तरं शल्य-दुर्योधनसंवादः
Aftermath of Karṇa’s Fall: Śalya’s Address to Duryodhana
त्रयोदशेमा हि समा: सदा वयं त्वामन्वजीविष्म धनंजयाशया । काले वर्ष देवमिवोप्तबीजं तन्न: सर्वान् नरके त्वं न््यमज्ज:
trayodaśemā hi samāḥ sadā vayaṃ tvām anvajīviṣma dhanañjayāśayā | kāle varṣa devam ivoptabījaṃ tan naḥ sarvān narake tvaṃ nyamajjaḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «Durante estos trece años hemos sostenido la vida poniendo toda nuestra esperanza en ti, oh Dhanañjaya. Como la semilla sembrada resiste aguardando la lluvia oportuna de la nube, así resistimos; y, sin embargo, tú nos has hundido a todos en el infierno: en un peligro atroz y en la desesperación.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership and reliance: when many endure hardship sustained by hope in a protector, failure or delay can feel like being cast into ‘hell’—a metaphor for collective ruin. It underscores accountability to those who depend on one’s promised support.
Sañjaya voices a bitter complaint to Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), saying that for thirteen years ‘we’ survived by hoping in him, like a seed waiting for timely rain; but now, through his action or inaction, all have been driven into extreme distress.