Shloka 3
Adhyāya 35 — Bhīmasena’s Counter-Encirclement and the Karṇa Engagement Escalation
योधे त्वयि रथस्थे च मद्रराजे च सारथौ । रथश्रेष्ठो ध्रुवं संख्ये पार्थानभिभविष्यति,जब तुम योद्धा बनकर रथपर बैठोगे और मद्रराज शल्य सारथिके रूपमें प्रतिष्ठित होंगे, उस समय वह श्रेष्ठ रथ निश्चय ही युद्धस्थलमें कुन्तीपुत्रोंकी पराजित कर देगा
yodhe tvayi rathasthe ca madrarāje ca sārathau | rathaśreṣṭho dhruvaṃ saṅkhye pārthān abhibhaviṣyati ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Apabila engkau sebagai pahlawan duduk di atas rata, dan raja Madra, Śalya, ditegakkan sebagai sais, maka rata yang terbaik itu pasti akan, di tengah gelanggang perang, menewaskan putera-putera Pṛthā.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata tension: confidence built on external arrangements—chariot, charioteer, and tactical advantage—can foster pride and moral blindness. It implicitly contrasts strategic certainty with the epic’s broader insistence that dharma, not merely skill or equipment, ultimately governs true victory.
Duryodhana is encouraging his side by asserting that if the addressed warrior rides the chariot and Śalya serves as charioteer, their chariot-force will surely defeat the Pāṇḍavas in battle. It is a statement of planned battlefield configuration and anticipated dominance.