Shloka 49
Śalya Installed as Commander; Coalition Agreement and Battle Arrays (शल्यसेनापत्यारोहणं व्यूहवर्णनं च)
इति सत्य ब्रवीम्येष दुर्योधन न संशय: । “मैं रणभूमिमें कुन्तीके सभी पुत्रों और सामने आये हुए सोमकोंपर भी विजय प्राप्त कर लूँगा। इसमें भी संदेह नहीं कि मैं तुम्हारा सेनापति होऊँगा और ऐसे व्यूहका निर्माण करूँगा, जिसे शत्रु लाँघ नहीं सकेंगे। दुर्योधन! यह मैं तुमसे सच्ची बात कहता हूँ। इसमें कोई संशय नहीं है”
iti satyaṁ bravīmy eṣa duryodhana na saṁśayaḥ |
Sañjaya said: “Thus I speak the truth, O Duryodhana—there is no doubt.” In the surrounding speech, the speaker asserts unwavering confidence in defeating the sons of Kuntī and the Sṛñjayas who stand before him, and in assuming the role of commander by forming an unbreachable battle-array. The line underscores the moral tension of war: certainty and pride are voiced as ‘truth,’ even as the larger epic questions the ethical ground of such confidence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ‘truth’ can be claimed in the form of unwavering conviction, yet the epic context invites scrutiny: confidence and strategic prowess do not automatically align with dharma, and certainty in war often masks pride and moral blindness.
Sañjaya reports a declaration addressed to Duryodhana, emphasizing that the speaker is stating something as true and beyond doubt—namely, confidence in defeating the Pāṇḍavas and their allies and in leading the Kaurava forces through an effective, hard-to-break formation.