Shloka 1
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
अप्--_क- द्वात्रिशोड्थध्याय: दुर्योधनकी शल्यसे कर्णका सारथि बननेके लिये प्रार्थना और शल्यका इस विषयमें घोर विरोध करना, पुनः श्रीकृष्णके समान अपनी प्रशंसा सुनकर उसे स्वीकार कर लेना संजय उवाच पुत्रस्तव महाराज मद्रराजं॑ महारथम् | विनयेनोपसंगम्य प्रणयाद् वाक्यमब्रवीत्,संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! आपका पुत्र दुर्योधन मद्रराज महारथी शल्यके पास विनीतभावसे जाकर प्रेमपूर्वक इस प्रकार बोला--
sañjaya uvāca | putras tava mahārāja madrarājaṁ mahāratham | vinayenopasaṅgamya praṇayād vākyam abravīt |
Sañjaya said: O King, your son Duryodhana approached Śalya, the mighty chariot-warrior and king of Madra, with humility; and, speaking with affectionate persuasion, he addressed him in these words. The scene frames a moral tension: in the midst of war, political need and personal bonds are used to secure strategic advantage, testing the boundaries between courtesy, loyalty, and righteous conduct.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a righteous-sounding approach marked by humility (vinaya) and affection (praṇaya), the ethical question remains: are these virtues being used sincerely, or as instruments for strategic gain in war? The verse invites reflection on intention (bhāva) behind courteous speech and on the moral limits of persuasion in pursuit of power.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana goes to Śalya, the Madra king and a great warrior, and addresses him respectfully and affectionately. This introduces Duryodhana’s attempt to secure Śalya’s cooperation—contextually, to make him serve as Karṇa’s charioteer—setting up Śalya’s resistance and the ensuing negotiation.