Shloka 41
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
कस्माद् युनड्धक्षि सारथ्ये नीचस्याधिरथे रणे । नरेश्वर! इस प्रकार शत्रुओंका दमन करनेमें पूर्णतया समर्थ होनेपर भी तुम मुझे इस नीच सूतपुत्र कर्णके सारथिके कामपर कैसे नियुक्त कर रहे हो? || ४० $ ।। न मामधुरि राजेन्द्र नियोक्तुं त्वमिहाहसि
śalya uvāca | kasmād yunodhakṣi sārathye nīcasyādhirathe raṇe | nareśvara! śatrūṇāṃ damane pūrṇatayā samartho 'pi tvaṃ māṃ nīca-sūtaputra-karṇasya sārathi-kārye kathaṃ niyojayasi || na mām adhuri rājendra niyoktuṃ tvam ihārhasi ||
Śalya said: “Why do you yoke me to the office of charioteer in battle for a low-born chariot-warrior? O king of men, though you are fully capable of crushing the enemy, how can you appoint me to serve as the charioteer of Karṇa, that base son of a sūta? O best of kings, you are not fit to command me in this matter.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between royal command and personal honor: Śalya resists an assignment he deems degrading, revealing how pride and social prejudice can distort dharma and relationships even amid a common war effort.
Śalya addresses the Kaurava king (contextually Duryodhana), protesting that he is being made Karṇa’s charioteer. He disparages Karṇa as a ‘sūta’s son’ and argues that the king, being capable himself, should not compel Śalya into what he considers an unworthy service role.