Shloka 32

कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan

Adhyāya 31

Devanagari script

शल्य उवाच अवमन्यसि गान्धारे ध्रुवं च परिशड्कसे । यन्मां ब्रवीषि विश्रब्धं सारथ्यं क्रियतामिति

Transliteration

śalya uvāca | avamanyasi gāndhāre dhruvaṃ ca pariśaṅkase | yan māṃ bravīṣi viśrabdhaṃ sārathyaṃ kriyatām iti ||

Translation

Śalya nói: “Hỡi con của Gāndhārī, ngươi đang khinh nhờn ta; hẳn trong lòng ngươi còn nghi kỵ ta. Bởi vậy ngươi mới dám nói với ta thẳng thừng rằng: ‘Hãy làm phận sự người đánh xe cho ta.’”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'śalya uvāca', 'definition': 'Śalya said'}, {'term': 'avamanyasi', 'definition': 'you disrespect, you slight, you treat with contempt'}, {'term': 'gāndhāre', 'definition': 'O son of Gāndhārī (vocative

• i.e., a Kaurava prince, here addressed pointedly)'}, {'term': 'dhruvam', 'definition': 'surely, certainly'}, {'term': 'ca', 'definition': 'and'}, {'term': 'pariśaṅkase', 'definition': 'you suspect, you mistrust, you are apprehensive about'}, {'term': 'yat', 'definition': 'because, since

• that which'}, {'term': 'mām', 'definition': 'me'}, {'term': 'bravīṣi', 'definition': 'you say, you speak'}, {'term': 'viśrabdham', 'definition': 'confidently, without hesitation

• familiarly'}, {'term': 'sārathyam', 'definition': 'the role/duty of a charioteer'}, {'term': 'kriyatām', 'definition': 'let it be done

• please do (imperative/passive sense)'}, {'term': 'iti', 'definition': 'thus, so (quotative particle)'}]

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śalya
• Gāndhārī (as ‘son of Gāndhārī’)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension between rank and duty: commanding someone into a subordinate role (charioteer) without mutual respect breeds mistrust. It underscores that effective cooperation in dharma and warfare depends on honor, consent, and confidence rather than coercion or contempt.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya responds sharply to a Kaurava prince addressed as ‘son of Gāndhārī,’ accusing him of disrespect and suspicion. Śalya interprets the prince’s bold request—‘be my charioteer’—as evidence of strained relations and a lack of trust, setting the tone for a tense exchange about service, status, and intent.