Shloka 37
कर्णेन सैन्यस्थापनं तथा नानायुद्धसमवायः
Karna Reforms the Host and Multiple Duels Converge
स त्वमेतादृश: शल्य नोत्तरं वक्तुमहसि । पृथिव्यां सर्वदेशानां मद्रको मलमुच्यते,शल्य! ऐसे ही तुम हो। अब मेरी बातका जवाब नहीं दोगे। मद्रदेशके निवासीको पृथ्वीके सम्पूर्ण देशोंका मल बताया जाता है
sa tvam etādṛśaḥ śalya nottaraṃ vaktum arhasi | pṛthivyāṃ sarvadeśānāṃ madrako malam ucyate, śalya |
Karna disse: “Então és mesmo assim, Śalya—incapaz de dar resposta às minhas palavras. Nesta terra, o homem de Madra é chamado de ‘imundície’ de todas as regiões; assim, Śalya.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how uncontrolled anger and wounded pride lead to abusive speech (vāk-doṣa), undermining dignity and dharma even in a warrior setting; moral authority is weakened when one resorts to slander rather than reason.
During the tense exchange between Karna and his charioteer Śalya, Karna rebukes Śalya for not answering him and escalates the quarrel by hurling a harsh regional insult against the people of Madra, aiming to humiliate Śalya.