Shloka 25
Śalya’s Consecration as Senāpati and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira (शल्यस्य सेनापत्यभिषेकः)
स भवानस्तु नः शूर: प्रणेता वाहिनीमुखे,“आप हमारे शूरवीर सेनापति होकर सेनाके मुहानेपर खड़े हों। रणभूमिमें आपके जाते ही मन्दबुद्धि पाण्डड और पांचाल अपने मन्त्रियोंसहित उद्योगशून्य हो जायँगे”
sa bhavān astu naḥ śūraḥ praṇetā vāhinīmukhe |
“Jadilah engkau pahlawan kami—panglima yang berdiri di barisan terdepan pasukan. Begitu engkau maju ke medan perang, para Pāṇḍava yang tumpul budi dan kaum Pāñcāla, beserta para menteri mereka, akan kehilangan semangat dan menjadi tak berdaya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the perceived ethical and practical weight of leadership in war: a commander’s presence at the vanguard is believed to shape collective morale and decisiveness. It also illustrates how confidence and psychological warfare—asserting the enemy will become ‘inactive’—are treated as strategic tools.
In the Shalya Parva context, Sañjaya reports a statement urging a warrior-leader to take position at the army’s front and lead the advance, with the claim that the Pāṇḍavas and Pāñcālas will lose initiative when he enters the battlefield.