Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 36
Śalya Installed as Commander; Coalition Agreement and Battle Arrays (शल्यसेनापत्यारोहणं व्यूहवर्णनं च)
अजेयश्चाप्यसौ वीरो धार्तराष्ट्रण सत्कृत: । तवैव हि जयो नून॑ हते मद्रेश्वरे युधि
sañjaya uvāca |
ajeyaś cāpy asau vīro dhārtarāṣṭreṇa satkṛtaḥ |
tavaiva hi jayo nūnaṁ hate madreśvare yudhi |
iti satyaṁ bravīmy eṣa duryodhana na saṁśayaḥ ||
Sanjaya dijo: «Ese héroe (Śalya) es, en verdad, inconquistable, y el hijo de Dhṛtarāṣṭra lo ha honrado como corresponde. En verdad, tu victoria será segura cuando el señor de Madra caiga muerto en la batalla. Así te hablo con verdad, Duryodhana: no hay duda.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how claims of certainty in war—grounded in honoring powerful allies and predicting an enemy’s fall—can shape morale and decision-making; it also contrasts the speaker’s insistence on “truth” (satya) with the inherently uncertain and ethically fraught nature of battlefield outcomes.
Sañjaya reports to Duryodhana a confident assertion about Śalya: that he is invincible and has been honored by Duryodhana, and that Duryodhana’s victory will be assured once the Madra king (Śalya) is slain in battle—presented as a doubtless, truth-spoken statement.
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