Mahabharata 9.7.29 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 7, Shloka 29
Śalya Installed as Commander; Coalition Agreement and Battle Arrays (शल्यसेनापत्यारोहणं व्यूहवर्णनं च)
यादृग् भीष्मस्तथा द्रोणो यादृक् कर्णश्न संयुगे । तादृशस्तद्विशिष्टो वा मद्रराजो मतो मम
sañjaya uvāca |
yādṛg bhīṣmas tathā droṇo yādṛk karṇaś ca saṃyuge |
tādṛśas tad-viśiṣṭo vā madrarājo mataḥ mama |
iti satyaṃ bravīmy eṣa duryodhana na saṃśayaḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: “Như Bhīṣma, như Droṇa, như Karṇa từng dũng mãnh trong chiến trận—vua xứ Madra (Śalya) cũng như thế, thậm chí còn hơn: đó là nhận định của ta. Ta tuyên bố điều này là sự thật, hỡi Duryodhana; không nghi ngờ.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how wartime decisions often rest on assessments of strength and reputation; yet such confidence does not resolve the deeper ethical burden of the war—power can inspire certainty, but it cannot guarantee righteousness or outcomes.
Sañjaya reports an evaluation to Duryodhana: Śalya, king of Madra, is judged to be as formidable in battle as Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and Karṇa—or even more so—reinforcing the Kauravas’ expectation of advantage under Śalya’s leadership.
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