Shloka 25
Karna Reproves Shalya; Brahmin Reports on Bāhlīkas; Shalya’s Universalizing Rebuttal (कर्ण–शल्य संवादः)
सौबलं च तदा तात नीतिमानिति मन्यते
saubalaṃ ca tadā tāta nītimān iti manyate
सौबलं च तदा तात नीतिमानिति मन्यते ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in wartime deliberations, figures are evaluated through the lens of nīti (policy and strategy). It implicitly raises an ethical tension in the epic: being ‘nītimān’ can mean skill in political calculation, which may or may not align with dharma.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, at that point in the unfolding events, someone (contextually a leading Kaurava decision-maker) considered Saubala (Śakuni) to be prudent and politically astute, indicating Śakuni’s perceived influence in counsel and strategy.