Mahabharata 9.7.40 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 7, Shloka 40
Śalya Installed as Commander; Coalition Agreement and Battle Arrays (शल्यसेनापत्यारोहणं व्यूहवर्णनं च)
द्रोणभीष्मार्णवं तीर्त्वा कर्णपातालसम्भवम् | मा निमज्जस्व सगण: शल्यमासाद्य गोष्पदम्
sañjaya uvāca |
droṇabhīṣmārṇavaṁ tīrtvā karṇapātālasambhavam | mā nimajjāsva sagaṇaḥ śalyam āsādya goṣpadam iti satyaṁ bravīmyeṣa duryodhana na saṁśayaḥ |
Sañjaya nói: “Ngươi đã vượt qua đại dương mang tên Drona và Bhishma—một đại dương có vực sâu sinh từ Karna—thì chớ để mình cùng tùy tùng lại chìm đắm khi gặp Shalya, kẻ so với họ chỉ như vết móng bò, một vũng nước nhỏ. Hỡi Duryodhana, ta nói điều này là sự thật; không có nghi ngờ.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not become careless or arrogant after overcoming major dangers; a smaller, underestimated challenge can still cause downfall. True counsel restrains pride and urges vigilance, even when the next opponent seems ‘small’ by comparison.
Sanjaya addresses Duryodhana with a metaphor: after the Kauravas have passed through the formidable phases of command under Bhishma and Drona (and the abyss-like threat associated with Karna), they must not ‘sink’ when Shalya becomes commander. The statement functions as a caution that the war’s turning points can come unexpectedly.
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