Shloka 43
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
ब्रह्मणा ब्राह्मणा: सृष्टा मुखात् क्षत्रं च बाहुत:
brahmaṇā brāhmaṇāḥ sṛṣṭā mukhāt kṣatraṃ ca bāhutaḥ
Śalya said: “By Brahmā, the brāhmaṇas were created from the mouth, and the kṣatra (the warrior order) from the arms.” In the ethical frame of the discourse, this recalls the traditional hierarchy of social functions: speech, learning, and counsel as the brāhmaṇa’s domain, and strength, protection, and governance as the kṣatriya’s—implying that each must act according to their ordained duty, especially amid the moral strain of war.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse invokes the traditional doctrine of varna-based duties: brāhmaṇas are associated with speech, learning, and guidance (symbolized by the mouth), while kṣatriyas are associated with strength, protection, and rule (symbolized by the arms). The implied ethical point is that social roles carry distinct responsibilities that should be upheld, particularly in times of conflict.
Śalya is speaking within the Karṇa Parva’s battlefield discourse. By citing the origin of brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas from Brahmā, he frames an argument about proper conduct and duty, using a well-known cosmological-social model to comment on how warriors and counselors ought to act amid the pressures of war.