Shloka 40
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
इदमपरमुपस्थितं पुन- स्तव निधनाय सुयुद्धमद्य वै | यदि न रिपुभयात् पलायसे समरगतोडद्य हतोडसि सूतज
idam aparam upasthitaṃ punaḥ tava nidhanāya su-yuddham adya vai | yadi na ripu-bhayāt palāyase samara-gato 'dya hata 'si sūta-ja, sūta-putra ||
舍利耶说道：“今日又一次，一场上好的大战再度临到——却是为你的毁灭而来。若你不因惧敌而逃，那么你一踏入今日的战场，必定被杀，车夫所生者，车夫之子啊。”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how speech can be used as psychological warfare: Shalya frames the coming combat as inevitable death for Karna and taunts him with social labels (“sūta-ja, sūta-putra”). Ethically, it warns that in war, words can wound and destabilize dharma by provoking anger, pride, and rash action.
On the battlefield, Shalya addresses Karna directly, declaring that another decisive fight has arrived specifically for Karna’s destruction. He challenges Karna not to flee from fear and predicts that if Karna enters the fray, he will be killed that very day.