Shloka 223
शल्यस्य सेनापत्याभ्युपगमः | Śalya’s Acceptance of Command
पाण्डवानां प्रसादेन भोक्ष्ये राज्यमहं कथम् | “अभिमन्युके विनाशसे जिनके हृदयमें गहरी चोट पहुँची है
pāṇḍavānāṃ prasādena bhokṣye rājyam ahaṃ katham |
ສັນຈະຍະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ຂ້ອຍຈະເສວຍລາຊະອານາຈັກໂດຍອາໄສພຣະກະລຸນາຂອງພວກປານດະວະໄດ້ແນວໃດ?» ຖ້ອຍຄຳນີ້ສະທ້ອນຄວາມພູມໃຈຂອງນັກຮົບ ແລະ ການຕ້ານທານທາງຈິດໃຈຕໍ່ການດຳລົງຊີວິດດ້ວຍຄວາມເມດຕາຂອງສັດຕູ—ໂດຍສະເພາະເມື່ອເຄີຍເສວຍອຳນາດເປັນຈັກກະພັດເຫນືອແຜ່ນດິນທີ່ທະເລລ້ອມຮອບ; ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ການປອງດອງຈຶ່ງຄ້າຍຄືຄວາມອັບອາຍ ບໍ່ແມ່ນສັນຕິພາບ.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical psychology of kingship in epic culture: accepting rule as a gift from one’s rivals can be felt as loss of autonomy and honor. It frames political settlement not only as a practical outcome but as a moral-emotional issue tied to dignity, legitimacy, and the warrior code.
In the Shalya Parva context, Sañjaya reports a speaker’s refusal to accept a kingdom dependent on the Pāṇḍavas’ grace. The statement underscores resistance to compromise after intense conflict, where the prospect of living under an opponent’s ‘favor’ is rejected as intolerable.