Shloka 2
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
सत्यव्रत महाभाग द्विषतां तापवर्धन | मद्रेश्वर रणे शूर परसैन्यभयंकर
satyavrata mahābhāga dviṣatāṁ tāpavardhana | madreśvara raṇe śūra parasainyabhayaṅkara | vaktṝṇāṁ śreṣṭha! āpne karṇakī bāta sunī hai; usīke anusāra in rājasiṁhoṁ ke bīca meṁ maiṁ svayaṁ āp kā varaṇa kartā hūṁ |
Sañjaya disse: “Ó nobre de votos verdadeiros, aumentador da angústia dos inimigos! Ó senhor de Madra, herói na batalha, terror do exército adversário, o primeiro entre os oradores — ouviste as palavras de Karṇa. De acordo com elas, aqui, entre estes reis semelhantes a leões, eu mesmo te escolho.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how political-military decisions are framed through honorific praise and public commitment: choosing an ally or leader is presented as a matter of reputation, steadfastness, and the ability to inspire fear in the enemy—ethical authority and martial competence together.
Sañjaya addresses the king of Madra (Śalya) with a string of epithets, noting that he has heard Karṇa’s proposal or words; then, in the presence of assembled kings, Sañjaya declares that he chooses/accepts Śalya in accordance with Karṇa’s plan—signaling a formal alignment in the war context.