Shloka 63
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
ऋते हि त्वां महाभाग वासुदेवसमं युधि । “आपके सारथि होनेपर राधापुत्र कर्ण मेरे शत्रुओंको जीत लेगा। कर्णके रथकी बागडोर पकड़नेवाला आपके सिवा दूसरा कोई नहीं है। महाभाग! आप युद्धमें वसुदेवनन्दन श्रीकृष्णके समान हैं
sañjaya uvāca |
ṛte hi tvāṃ mahābhāga vāsudevasamaṃ yudhi |
śalya uvāca |
yan māṃ bravīṣi gāndhāre madhye sainyastha kaurava |
viśiṣṭaṃ devakīputrāt prītimān asmy ahaṃ tvayi ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “O mapalad na ginoo, bukod sa iyo—na sa digmaan ay kapantay ni Vāsudeva—wala nang iba pang tunay na makakahawak sa renda ng karwahe ni Karṇa.” Sumagot si Śalya: “O anak ni Gāndhārī, O Kaurava na nakatindig sa gitna ng nagkakatipong hukbo—yamang sinasabi mong ako’y higit pa maging sa anak ni Devakī (Kṛṣṇa), ako’y lubhang nalulugod sa iyo.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how wartime alliances can be shaped by praise and status-comparisons: Duryodhana’s exaltation of Śalya (even above Kṛṣṇa) wins Śalya’s pleasure, showing the moral ambiguity of persuasion through flattery rather than truth.
Sañjaya reports the situation around Karṇa’s chariot: only a supremely capable charioteer can ‘hold the reins’ in battle. Śalya then responds to Duryodhana’s public praise, expressing satisfaction at being lauded as superior even to Kṛṣṇa.