Shloka 416
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
न हि पापीयस: श्रेयान् भूत्वा प्रेष्यत्वमुत्सहे । राजेन्द्र! तुम्हें मुझे नीच कर्ममें नहीं लगाना चाहिये। मैं श्रेष्ठ होकर अत्यन्त नीच पापी पुरुषकी दासता नहीं कर सकता
na hi pāpīyasaḥ śreyān bhūtvā preṣyatvam utsahe | rājendra! tvaṁ māṁ nīca-karmaṇi na niyojayitavyam | ahaṁ śreṣṭho bhūtvā atyanta-nīca-pāpī-puruṣasya dāsatāṁ na kartum utsahe ||
शल्य उवाच—न हि पापीयसः प्रेष्यत्वं श्रेयान् भूत्वा सोढुमुत्सहे। राजेन्द्र! नीचेषु कर्मसु मां न योजय। अहं श्रेष्ठो भूत्वा परमपापस्य नीचस्य पुरुषस्य दासत्वं न करिष्यामि।
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts an ethic of self-respect and moral boundaries: a person who knows what is noble should not consent to degrading service or be compelled into ignoble acts, even under royal command.
Śalya addresses a king (rājendra), refusing to be used for low or sinful purposes and declaring that he cannot accept the role of a menial subordinate to a thoroughly wicked person.