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 disse: “Quando tu, como guerreiro, estiveres assentado no carro, e quando o rei de Madra, Śalya, estiver estabelecido como auriga, então esse excelso carro, no turbilhão da batalha, certamente subjugará os filhos de 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.