Shloka 34
Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)
रथाभ्यां चेरतुस्तत्र मण्डलानि सहस्रशः । एक-दूसरेके वधके लिये प्रयत्न करते हुए वे दोनों महारथी अपने रथके द्वारा वहाँ सहस्रों बार मण्डलाकार गतिसे विचरते थे ।। ३३ $ ।। कृतवर्मा महाराज पार्षतं निशितै: शरै:
rathābhyāṃ ceratustatra maṇḍalāni sahasraśaḥ | eka-dūsareke vadhake liye prayatna karate hue ve dvau mahārathī svayaṃ rathena tatra sahasraśo maṇḍalākāra-gatyā vicarante sma ||
Sañjaya said: There, the two great chariot-warriors drove their chariots in countless circular courses, each striving to bring about the other’s death. Again and again they wheeled in ring-like motion, displaying mastery of war-craft while remaining intent on lethal victory—an image of the battle’s relentless, ethically fraught contest where skill is yoked to the purpose of killing.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary skill and disciplined effort can be directed toward destructive ends in war. It implicitly raises the ethical tension of kṣatriya combat: mastery of technique (circular chariot maneuvers) is inseparable from the intention to kill, reminding readers that prowess does not automatically confer moral clarity.
Sañjaya describes a chariot-duel in which two elite warriors repeatedly wheel their chariots in circular patterns, each seeking an opening to slay the other. The emphasis is on rapid, repeated maneuvering—thousands of circular passes—showing the intensity and tactical sophistication of the encounter.