Shloka 4
Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)
तत्रावोचन् विमनसो रथिन: सादिनस्तथा । द्रोणस्य निधनानूनं संक्रुद्धों द्विषदां वर:,वहाँ सभी रथी और घुड़सवार उदास होकर कहने लगे कि निश्चय ही द्रोणाचार्यके मारे जानेसे दिव्यास्त्रोंके ज्ञाता, उदारबुद्धि, महातेजस्वी, नरश्रेष्ठ, शरद्वानके पुत्र कृपाचार्य अत्यन्त कुपित हो उठे होंगे। क्या आज कृपाचार्यसे धृष्टद्युम्न कुशलपूर्वक सुरक्षित रह सकेंगे?
tatrāvocan vimanaso rathinaḥ sādinastathā | droṇasya nidhanānūnaṃ saṃkruddho dviṣadāṃ varaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: There, the chariot-warriors and the horsemen, their hearts cast down, began to speak: “Surely, because Droṇa has been slain, the foremost among our foes has become fiercely enraged.” The remark conveys the moral shock that follows the fall of a revered teacher in war: grief and foreboding spread through the ranks, as they anticipate retaliatory fury and the escalation of violence driven by wrath rather than restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the death of a revered figure in war triggers collective dejection and fear, and how anger (krodha) can become the driving force that intensifies conflict—an ethical warning about the destructive momentum of retaliation.
After Droṇa’s fall, the warriors present—chariot-fighters and cavalry—speak in despair, convinced that the foremost enemy has become violently enraged because of Droṇa’s death, foreshadowing harsh counteraction on the battlefield.