Mahabharata 9.13.38 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 13, Shloka 38
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
कथं नु समरे शक््यं तन््माधववचो महत् | न हि क्रुद्धो रणे राजा क्षपयेत बल॑ मम
sañjaya uvāca | kathaṁ nu samare śakyaṁ tan-mādhava-vaco mahat | na hi kruddho raṇe rājā kṣapayet balaṁ mama |
“ในท่ามกลางศึกนี้ พระดำรัสอันยิ่งใหญ่ของมาธวะ (ศรีกฤษณะ) จะสำเร็จได้อย่างไร? เพราะหากพระราชาศัลยะกริ้วในสนามรบแล้วโจมตีโดยไร้การยับยั้ง ก็อาจทำลายกองกำลังของเราทั้งหมดได้”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between a trusted, ‘great’ assurance (Kṛṣṇa’s words) and the unpredictable force of human anger in war. It frames ethical concern: when rulers fight in wrath, restraint collapses and destruction becomes indiscriminate, threatening any intended plan or promised outcome.
Sañjaya voices apprehension about the course of the battle: he wonders how Kṛṣṇa’s significant statement will prove true if Śalya becomes furious in combat, since an enraged Śalya could devastate ‘our’ forces. The line functions as a worried forecast amid shifting battlefield leadership and morale.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.