Shloka 41
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
एवं तस्मिन् महाराज कल्पिते रथसत्तमे । देवैर्मनुजशार्दूल द्विषतामभिमर्दने,पुरुषसिंह! महाराज! इस प्रकार देवताओंद्वारा शत्रुओंका मर्दन करनेवाले उस श्रेष्ठ रथका निर्माण हो जानेपर भगवान् शंकरने उसके ऊपर अपने मुख्य-मुख्य अस्त्र-शस्त्र रख दिये और ध्वजदण्डको आकाशव्यापी बनाकर उसके ऊपर अपने वृषभ नन्दीको स्थापित कर दिया
evaṁ tasmin mahārāja kalpite rathasattame | devair manujaśārdūla dviṣatām abhimardane || puruṣasiṁha mahārāja | evaṁ devaiḥ śatrūṇāṁ mardana-kṣame tasmin śreṣṭhe rathe nirmite bhagavān śaṅkaraḥ tasya upari svāni mukhya-mukhyāni astrāṇi śastrāṇi ca nyadhāt | dhvajadaṇḍaṁ cākāśavyāpiṇaṁ kṛtvā tasya upari vṛṣabhaṁ nandinaṁ pratiṣṭhāpya ||
Wika ni Duryodhana: “O dakilang hari, O tigre sa mga tao, pandurog ng mga kaaway—nang ang pinakamainam na karwaheng iyon ay nalikha na ng mga diyos, inilagay ng pinagpalang Panginoong Śaṅkara sa ibabaw nito ang kaniyang mga pangunahing sandata; at, pinalawig ang tungkod ng watawat hanggang sa langit, iniluklok niya roon ang kaniyang toro na si Nandin.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war in the Mahābhārata is framed not only as human strategy but as a theatre of symbols and perceived divine endorsement. The sky-reaching banner and Śiva’s weapons signify authority and morale—yet the epic repeatedly warns that divine signs do not replace dharma; legitimacy is ultimately tested by conduct and consequence.
Duryodhana describes a supreme chariot fashioned by the gods. After its completion, Śiva (Śaṅkara) places his principal weapons upon it and sets his bull Nandin atop the chariot’s towering flagstaff, marking the chariot with Śiva’s emblem and suggesting formidable, divinely marked martial power.