Shloka 19
Śalya’s Consecration as Senāpati and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira (शल्यस्य सेनापत्यभिषेकः)
द्रौणिस्वाच अयं कुलेन रूपेण तेजसा यशसा श्रिया | सर्वैर्गुणै: समुदित: शल्यो नो<स्तु चमूपति:
sañjaya uvāca | drauṇir uvāca: ayaṃ kulena rūpeṇa tejasā yaśasā śriyā | sarvair guṇaiḥ samuditaḥ śalyo no 'stu camūpatiḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: Con trai của Droṇa, Aśvatthāman, thưa: “Vua Śalya này có dòng dõi cao quý, dung mạo tuấn tú, dũng lực, danh tiếng và phú quý; lại đầy đủ mọi đức hạnh. Vì vậy, xin để Śalya làm Tổng chỉ huy quân ta.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, authority is argued through dharmic-social credentials—lineage, personal excellence, and public reputation—showing that leadership is expected to be morally and socially defensible, not merely force-based.
Aśvatthāman proposes that King Śalya, praised for noble birth and many virtues, should be appointed as the Kaurava army’s commander; Sanjaya reports this speech.