Shloka 49
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
अहं मूर्धाभिषिक्तो हि राजर्षिकुलजो नृप:ः । महारथ: समाख्यात: सेव्य: स्तुत्यश्न वन्दिनाम्,मैं राजर्षियोंके कुलमें उत्पन्न हुआ मूर्द्धाभिषिक्त नरेश हूँ, विश्वविख्यात महारथी हूँ, सूतोंद्वारा सेव्य और वन्दीजनोंद्वारा स्तुतिके योग्य हूँ
ahaṁ mūrdhābhiṣikto hi rājarṣikulajo nṛpaḥ | mahārathaḥ samākhyātaḥ sevyaḥ stutyas ca vandinām ||
Śalya said: “I am a duly consecrated king, born in the lineage of royal seers. I am renowned as a great chariot-warrior, fit to be attended by bards and worthy of praise from panegyrists.” In context, Śalya asserts his royal legitimacy and martial stature, appealing to social and ethical norms of honor, rank, and deserved respect amid the tensions of war.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how claims to honor and authority are grounded in consecration, lineage, and recognized merit; it also cautions that self-asserted status can become a tool of pride and conflict when ethical restraint is strained in wartime.
Śalya is speaking in the Karṇa Parva and asserts his identity as a crowned king of noble rājarṣi lineage and a famed mahāratha, insisting he deserves service and praise—an assertion of rank and reputation amid the charged interactions of the battlefield leadership.