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 ||
Wika ni Śalya: “Hindi ko kayang tanggapin ang pagkaalipin matapos maging mas mabuti at marangal. O hari ng mga hari, huwag mo akong gamitin sa mga gawaing hamak. Bagaman nakatindig ako bilang higit na tao, hindi ako makapagpapasakop sa pagkaalipin sa isang lubhang marumi at makasalanang lalaki.”
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.