Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 6

Śalya Installed as Commander; Coalition Agreement and Battle Arrays (शल्यसेनापत्यारोहणं व्यूहवर्णनं च)

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शल्यपर्वमें शल्य और दुर्योधनका संवादविषयक छठा अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

iti satyaṁ bravīmy eṣa duryodhana na saṁśayaḥ | “ahaṁ raṇabhūmau kuntī-putrān sarvān samāgatāṁś ca somakān api vijayiṣyāmi | atra api na saṁśayaḥ | tava senāpatir bhaviṣyāmi ca tādṛśaṁ vyūhaṁ racayiṣyāmi yaṁ śatravo na laṅghayiṣyanti | duryodhana etat te satyaṁ bravīmi | na saṁśayaḥ” || evam uktas tato rājā madrādhipatim añjasā | bharataśreṣṭha prajānātha | tasyaivam uktvā kleśena pīḍito rājā duryodhanaḥ śāstrīya-vidhinā senā-madhye madra-rājaṁ śalyaṁ senāpati-pade ’bhiṣicya nyayojayat ||

Translation

“Ta nói với ngươi lời chân thật, Duryodhana—không chút nghi ngờ. Trên chiến địa, ta sẽ khuất phục tất cả các con của Kuntī, và cả những Somaka dám tiến ra—điều ấy cũng không nghi ngờ. Ta sẽ làm tổng chỉ huy, và sẽ bày một trận thế (vyūha) mà quân thù không thể phá vỡ. Duryodhana, ta nói đây là sự thật—không hề bất định.” Khi vua xứ Madra là Śalya nói xong như vậy, Duryodhana—dẫu bị nỗi khổ não đè nặng—vẫn theo đúng nghi lễ binh gia được quy định, long trọng tấn phong Śalya giữa đại quân làm tổng chỉ huy.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• सत्यं: truth
• सत्यं: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ब्रवीमि: I speak
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Present, 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• एषः: this (statement)
• एषः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दुर्योधन: O Duryodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• उक्तः: having been spoken to / addressed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ततः: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मद्राधिपतिम्: the lord of Madra (Shalya)
• मद्राधिपतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद्राधिपति
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अञ्जसा: straightway / readily
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अञ्जसा

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Śalya
• Madra (kingdom)
• Kuntī
• sons of Kuntī (Pāṇḍavas)
• Somakas
• battlefield (raṇabhūmi)
• army (senā)
• battle-array (vyūha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid grief and impending defeat, royal action is framed through ‘śāstrīya-vidhi’—the epic highlights how power and violence are repeatedly legitimized by ritual and formal procedure, while confident vows (‘na saṁśayaḥ’) can function as morale and political necessity rather than reliable truth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya declares with certainty that he will defeat the Pāṇḍavas and the Somakas and promises to serve as Duryodhana’s commander, creating an unbreakable battle formation. Hearing this, Duryodhana, though distressed, formally installs Śalya as senāpati in the middle of the army.