Shloka 40
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
चरन्तं विजने शल्य ततो<नुव्याजहार माम् । यस्मात् त्वया प्रमत्तेन होमधेन्वा हत: सुतः
carantaṁ vijane śalya tato 'nuvyājahāra mām | yasmāt tvayā pramattena homadhenvā hataḥ sutaḥ ||
ഏകാന്തത്തിൽ സഞ്ചരിച്ചിരുന്ന എന്നെ ശല്യൻ അപ്പോൾ വിളിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞു—‘നിന്റെ അശ്രദ്ധ മൂലം ഹോമധേനുവിന്റെ പുത്രൻ (കിടാവ്) കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടു.’
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical accountability under pressure: negligence (pramāda) can be perceived as causally linked to harm, and in the aftermath of loss, grief often expresses itself as moral accusation. It cautions against carelessness and shows how war amplifies the consequences of lapses in attention and duty.
Sañjaya reports that, while he was in a secluded place, Śalya approached and spoke to him, blaming him for the death of Śalya’s son, who was killed by someone named Homadhenvā. The moment conveys Śalya’s sorrow and anger, directed toward Sañjaya as the one deemed responsible through negligence.