Shloka 61
द्रोणपुत्रस्याग्नेयास्त्रप्रयोगः — अर्जुनस्य ब्राह्मास्त्रप्रतिघातः — व्यासोपदेशः
Aśvatthāmā’s Agneyāstra, Arjuna’s Brāhmāstra Counter, and Vyāsa’s Instruction
कर्णस्य मतमास्थाय पुत्रस्ते प्राह सौबलम् | यथेन्द्र: समरे राजनू् _प्राह विष्णुं यशस्विनम्,राजन! जैसे इन्द्र समरांगणमें परम यशस्वी भगवान् विष्णुसे कोई बात कहते हैं, उसी प्रकार आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनने कर्णकी सलाह मानकर सुबलपुत्र शकुनिसे इस प्रकार कहा --
karṇasya matam āsthāya putras te prāha saubalam | yathendraḥ samare rājan prāha viṣṇuṁ yaśasvinam ||
Sañjaya said: Accepting Karṇa’s counsel, your son (Duryodhana) addressed Saubala (Śakuni). O King, just as Indra, on the battlefield, speaks to the illustrious Viṣṇu, so did Duryodhana speak—placing his reliance on Śakuni’s guidance in the midst of war. The verse underscores how, in crisis, a ruler’s moral and strategic direction is shaped by the advisers he chooses to heed.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of counsel in leadership: a ruler’s choices in war are strongly shaped by whose advice he adopts. By likening Duryodhana’s address to Śakuni to Indra’s address to Viṣṇu, it emphasizes reliance on an adviser—implicitly inviting reflection on whether that reliance is placed on wise, dharmic guidance or on strategically clever but morally compromised counsel.
Sañjaya narrates to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, having accepted Karṇa’s opinion, turns to Śakuni (Saubala) and speaks to him in a manner compared to Indra speaking to Viṣṇu on the battlefield—setting up the next lines where Duryodhana’s request or strategy is expressed.