Shloka 32
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
संजय उवाच इति रणरभसस्य कत्थत- स्तदुत निशम्य वच: स मद्रराट् । अवहसदवमन्य वीर्यवान् प्रतिषिषिधे च जगाद चोत्तरम्
sañjaya uvāca | iti raṇarabhāsasya katthataḥ tad u ta niśamya vacaḥ sa madrarāṭ | avahasada avamanya vīryavān pratiṣiṣidhe ca jagāda cottaram ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, mendengar kata-kata Karṇa yang membual—diucapkan dalam gelora dan kegilaan perang—raja Madra yang gagah, Śalya, menertawakannya dengan hina. Ia menahan Karṇa agar tidak terus berbicara demikian, lalu menjawab seperti berikut.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethical tension: uncontrolled boastfulness (katthā) and pride in the heat of war invite censure. Śalya’s act of restraining speech suggests that words, like weapons, should be governed—excessive self-praise and contemptuous talk undermine judgment and right conduct.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śalya, the king of Madra serving as Karṇa’s charioteer, hears Karṇa’s inflated battle-talk, laughs at him with contempt, stops him from continuing, and then begins his own reply—setting up the ensuing exchange between Śalya and Karṇa.