Shloka 35
हतस्यापि महाराज सूतपुत्रस्य संयुगे । वित्रेसु: सर्वतो योधा: सिंहस्येवेतरे मृगा:,महाराज! जैसे सिंहसे दूसरे जंगली पशु सदा डरते रहते हैं, उसी प्रकार युद्धस्थलमें मारे गये सूतपुत्रसे भी समस्त योद्धा भय मानते थे
hatasyāpi mahārāja sūtaputrasya saṁyuge | vitrēsuḥ sarvato yodhāḥ siṁhasyevetare mṛgāḥ ||
Śalya said: “O great king, even after the charioteer’s son had been slain on the battlefield, warriors on every side still trembled—just as other beasts fear a lion.” The line underscores how a warrior’s awe-inspiring prowess can cast a moral and psychological shadow that outlasts his fall, shaping the courage and conduct of those who remain.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the enduring force of reputation and valor: a truly formidable warrior inspires fear not merely by physical presence but by the remembered certainty of his power. Ethically, it points to how courage and morale in war are shaped by perception, memory, and the acknowledged greatness of an opponent.
Śalya is speaking to the king, describing the battlefield’s reaction to the fall of the sūtaputra (Karṇa). He says that even after Karṇa has been killed, warriors everywhere continue to tremble, likened to animals fearing a lion—emphasizing Karṇa’s terrifying martial stature.