Shloka 83
करिष्यामि हि ते काम॑ भागिनेय यथेप्सितम् । ब्रवीम्यत: क्लीबवत् त्वां युद्धादन्यत् किमिच्छसि,इसलिये मैं तुमसे नपुंसककी भाँति कह रहा हूँ। बताओ, तुम युद्धविषयक सहयोगके सिवा और क्या चाहते हो? मेरे भानजे! मैं तुम्हारा अभीष्ट मनोरथ पूर्ण करूँगा
kariṣyāmi hi te kāmaṁ bhāgineya yathepsitam | bravīmy ataḥ klībavat tvāṁ yuddhād anyat kim icchasi ||
Śalya said: “I will indeed fulfill your desire, nephew, exactly as you wish. Yet I speak to you as one would to a coward: apart from assistance in this war, what else do you seek? Tell me—your wish shall be granted.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between granting a request and maintaining warrior honor: Śalya offers to fulfill Karṇa’s wish, but frames the request with a shaming rebuke (“like a coward”), implying that seeking anything other than direct war-support is dishonorable for a kṣatriya.
In the war-setting, Śalya addresses his nephew Karṇa. He promises to satisfy Karṇa’s desire, but pointedly asks what Karṇa wants besides help in battle—using a contemptuous comparison to pressure him and assert a strict expectation of martial commitment.