Shloka 45
अध्याय ८ — शल्यस्य सत्कारः, वरदानं, पाण्डवसमागमश्च (Śalya’s Reception, the Boon, and Meeting the Pāṇḍavas)
शल्य उवाच शृणु पाण्डव ते भद्रं यद् ब्रवीषि महात्मन: । तेजोवधनिमित्तं मां सूतपुत्रस्य सड़मे
śalya uvāca śṛṇu pāṇḍava te bhadraṁ yad bravīṣi mahātmanaḥ | tejovadha-nimittaṁ māṁ sūta-putrasya saṅgame ||
Śalya dit : «Écoute, ô Pāṇḍava ; que le bien t’advienne. Ce que tu dis, toi dont l’âme est noble, est juste : tu veux te servir de moi, dans la bataille à venir, comme du moyen d’amoindrir l’éclat et l’ardeur guerrière du fils du sūta (Karṇa). Il est arrêté que, dans cette guerre, je serai son aurige ; et Karṇa lui-même, depuis longtemps, me tient pour comparable au Seigneur Śrī Kṛṣṇa dans l’art de mener le char.»
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war is fought not only with weapons but also through morale and counsel: Śalya agrees to become Karna’s charioteer in a way that can undercut Karna’s confidence. It raises an ethical tension between personal obligation/role (serving as charioteer) and strategic intent (weakening an opponent’s spirit).
Śalya responds to a Pāṇḍava’s request and accepts the plan that he will be positioned as Karna’s charioteer in the coming battle. He notes that Karna esteems his charioteering highly—comparing it to Kṛṣṇa’s—thereby making Śalya’s influence over Karna’s battlefield mindset especially significant.