Mahabharata 9.7.33 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 7, Shloka 33
Śalya Installed as Commander; Coalition Agreement and Battle Arrays (शल्यसेनापत्यारोहणं व्यूहवर्णनं च)
तस्याद्य न प्रपश्यामि प्रतियोद्धारमाहवे । त्वामृते पुरुषव्यात्र शार्ट्लसमविक्रमम्
tasyādya na prapaśyāmi pratiyoddhāram āhave | tvām ṛte puruṣavyāghra śārḍūlasamavikramam iti satyaṁ bravīmy eṣa duryodhana na saṁśayaḥ ||
संजय म्हणाला—हे पुरुषव्याघ्र! आज या युद्धात, शार्दूलासारखा पराक्रम असलेल्या तुझ्यावाचून, शल्यासमोर उभा राहून लढू शकेल असा दुसरा कोणी मला दिसत नाही. दुर्योधना, हे मी तुला सत्य सांगतो—यात संशय नाही.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war discourse often elevates a leader through praise and certainty (“no doubt”), shaping morale and decision-making. Ethically, it shows the power—and risk—of confident counsel: it can steady a ruler, yet it may also reinforce overconfidence amid a destructive conflict.
Sañjaya addresses Duryodhana, asserting that on that day he sees no one fit to oppose the formidable warrior in front of them—except Duryodhana himself—thereby positioning Duryodhana as the only adequate counter-champion and strengthening his resolve.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.