Shloka 396
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
शोषयेयं समुद्रांश्व तेजसा स्वेन पार्थिव । राजन! मैं सारी पृथ्वीको विदीर्ण कर सकता हूँ, पर्वतोंको तोड़-फोड़कर बिखेर सकता हूँ और अपने तेजसे समुद्रोंको भी सुखा सकता हूँ
śoṣayeyam samudrāṁś ca tejasā svena pārthiva
Śalya said: “O king, by my own fiery energy I could even dry up the oceans.” The statement is a boast of overwhelming power, used in the charged moral atmosphere of war to assert dominance and intimidate—yet it also hints at the ethical danger of unchecked pride (mada) when strength is spoken of as limitless.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how claims of immense power can become an expression of pride; in the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such speech warns that strength without restraint and humility can distort judgment and inflame conflict.
In the Karṇa Parva war setting, Śalya addresses a king (pārthiva) and proclaims that his tejas is so great he could even dry up the oceans—an intimidation/boast meant to project superiority amid battlefield tensions.