Shloka 24
Śalya’s Consecration as Senāpati and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira (शल्यस्य सेनापत्यभिषेकः)
उवाच प्राञ्जलिभर्भूत्वा द्रोणभीष्मसमं रणे | अयं स काल: सम्प्राप्तो मित्राणां मित्रवत्सल
uvāca prāñjalir bhūtvā droṇabhīṣma-samaṃ raṇe | ayaṃ sa kālaḥ samprāpto mitrāṇāṃ mitra-vatsala ||
三阇耶说道：他合掌致敬而言：“在战阵之中，我将与德罗那、毗湿摩并肩齐等。此刻正是那一刻——当以坚定不移的忠诚对待友人之时啊，汝乃爱护盟友者！”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal of steadfast loyalty and timely action: when a decisive moment arrives, one should uphold commitments to allies and meet one’s duty with resolve, while still maintaining respectful conduct (prāñjali).
Sañjaya reports that a warrior, after saluting with joined palms, declares readiness to match the prowess of Droṇa and Bhīṣma in battle and asserts that the crucial time has come to act for the sake of friends/allies, addressing someone praised as ‘mitra-vatsala’ (devoted to friends).