Shloka 9

Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)

Devanagari script

पार्षतश्न महायुद्धे विमुखो5द्याभिलक्ष्यते । इत्येवं विविधा वाचस्तावकानां परै: सह

Transliteration

pārṣataśna mahāyuddhe vimukho ’dyābhilakṣyate | ityevaṃ vividhā vācas tāvakānāṃ paraiḥ saha ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: «ໃນສົງຄາມໃຫຍ່ນີ້ ບຸດແຫ່ງປາຣະສະຕະ (ທຣິດສະຕະດຸມນະ) ຖືກເຫັນໃນມື້ນີ້ວ່າກຳລັງຫັນໜີຈາກການຮົບ»។ ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ທ່າມກາງການປະທະ ມີຄຳເວົ້າຫຼາກຫຼາຍຖືກແລກປ່ຽນລະຫວ່າງພວກຂອງທ່ານແລະຝ່າຍຕົວຕໍ່ສູ້.

Word by Word

पार्षतःthe son of Pṛṣata (Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna)

महायुद्धेin the great battle

विमुखःturned away; averse; retreating

अद्यtoday

अभिलक्ष्यतेis seen; is observed

इतिthus; saying

एवंin this manner

विविधाःvarious; diverse

वाचःwords; statements

तावकानाम्of your people (the Kauravas)

परैःby the enemies; by the others

सहtogether with

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

प

पार्षतश्न / पार्षतपुत्र (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how speech and perception function as forces in war: declaring an opponent to be ‘turning away’ can shape morale, embolden one side, and unsettle the other. Ethically, it points to the volatility of judgment in battle—where partial observations become sweeping claims, and words themselves become instruments of strategy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Dhṛṣṭadyumna (called ‘the son of Pārṣata’) appears to be withdrawing or turning away in the great battle. Around this moment, Kaurava soldiers and their opponents exchange many such varied remarks—battlefield talk interpreting movements, successes, and reversals as the fight unfolds.