Shloka 10
कर्णस्य सेनापत्यं, माकरव्यूहः, पाण्डवानामर्धचन्द्रव्यूहः
Karna’s Command; Mākara Formation; Pandava Crescent Counter-Array
तेजोवधं सूतपुत्रस्य संख्ये प्रतिश्रुत्याजातशत्रो: पुरस्तात् | दुराधर्ष: शक्रसमानवीर्य: शल्य: स्थितो योद्धुकामस्त्वदर्थ,जिन्हें युद्धमोें विचलित करना अत्यन्त कठिन है, जो आपके सैनिकोंके प्रथम सेनापति एवं वेगशाली वीर हैं, जो अपनी बात सच्ची कर दिखानेके लिये अपने सगे भानजे पाण्डवोंको छोड़कर तथा अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिरके सामने युद्धस्थलमें सूतपुत्र कर्णके तेज और उत्साहको नष्ट करनेकी प्रतिज्ञा करके आपके पक्षमें चले आये थे, वे बलवान दुर्धर्ष तथा इन्द्रके समान पराक्रमी ऋतायनपुत्र शल्य आपके लिये युद्ध करनेको तैयार हैं
tejo-vadhaṁ sūta-putrasya saṅkhye pratiśrutyājātaśatroḥ purastāt | durādharṣaḥ śakra-samāna-vīryaḥ śalyaḥ sthito yoddhu-kāmas tvad-arthaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Having pledged, in the midst of battle and in the very presence of Ajātaśatru (Yudhiṣṭhira), to bring down the splendor and fighting spirit of Karṇa, the son of a charioteer, Śalya now stands ready to fight for your sake—hard to shake, and equal in prowess to Śakra (Indra). The verse highlights the moral tension of a warrior’s vow and allegiance: Śalya’s commitment to a spoken promise and his chosen side becomes a decisive ethical and strategic force within the war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of a warrior’s spoken pledge (pratiśruti): once a vow is made publicly—especially before a figure like Yudhiṣṭhira—honor and dharma pressure the speaker to act accordingly, even when it complicates loyalties and intensifies violence.
Sañjaya informs Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śalya, renowned and difficult to defeat, has taken a vow before Yudhiṣṭhira to undermine Karṇa’s martial brilliance and now stands prepared to fight on the Kaurava side for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s cause.