Shloka 65
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
समयश्न हि मे वीर कश्रिद् वैकर्तनं प्रति । उत्सूजेयं यथाश्रद्धमहं वाचो5स्य संनिधौ,परंतु वीरवर! कर्णके साथ मेरी एक शर्त रहेगी। “मैं इसके समीप, जैसी मेरी इच्छा हो, वैसी बातें कर सकता हूँ”
samayaśna hi me vīra kaścid vaikartanaṃ prati | utsṛjeyaṃ yathāśraddham ahaṃ vāco ’sya saṃnidhau, parantu vīravara! karṇake sātha merī eka śarta rahegī—“ahaṃ asya samīpe yathā me icchā tathā vākyaṃ vaktuṃ śaknomi” |
Shalya said: “O hero, I have one condition regarding Vaikartana (Karna). In his very presence, I must be free to speak to him as I see fit—according to my own conviction and intention. Only with this liberty will I accompany him.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, speech and counsel carry ethical weight: Shalya insists on the autonomy to speak according to his own conviction. The verse highlights the tension between loyalty to a role and fidelity to one’s conscience—suggesting that moral agency is preserved (or contested) through the freedom to speak truthfully or pointedly.
Shalya sets a precondition regarding Karna: he will stay close to him (notably as an associate/charioteer in this episode) only if he is permitted to address Karna freely in Karna’s presence, saying whatever he wishes according to his own intent. This foreshadows Shalya’s sharp, demoralizing remarks to Karna during the battle.