Shloka 243
Śalya’s Consecration as Senāpati and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira (शल्यस्य सेनापत्यभिषेकः)
यत्र मित्रममित्रं वा परीक्षन्ते बुधा जना: । तदनन्तर राजा दुर्योधनने भूमिपर खड़ा हो रथपर बैठे हुए रणभूमिमें द्रोण और भीष्मके समान पराक्रमी राजा शल्यसे हाथ जोड़कर कहा--"मित्रवत्सल! आज आपके मित्रोंक सामने वह समय आ गया है जब कि दविद्वान् पुरुष शत्रु या मित्रकी परीक्षा करते हैं
yatra mitram amitraṃ vā parīkṣante budhā janāḥ | tad-anantaraṃ rājā duryodhanaḥ bhūmipar khaḍgaṃ dhṛtvā rathopaviṣṭaḥ raṇabhūmau droṇa-bhīṣma-samānāṃ parākramavantaṃ rājānaṃ śalyaṃ hasta-yugmaṃ kṛtvā uvāca— “mitra-vatsala! adya te mitrāṇāṃ samakṣaṃ sa kālaḥ prāptaḥ yatra vidvān puruṣāḥ śatruṃ vā mitraṃ vā parīkṣante.”
三阇耶说道：“在那等处，智者要考验一个人究竟是真友还是仇敌——其后，杜罗约陀那王立于地上，手执利剑，继而登车端坐于战场之中，向勇武如德罗那与毗湿摩的沙利耶王合掌而言：‘噢，眷恋友谊者！今日在你诸盟友之前，已到那一刻：明达之士将裁断，谁显为敌，谁证为友。’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war as a moral proving-ground: in moments of crisis, the wise discern who truly acts as a friend or as an enemy, not merely by words or formal ties but by conduct and support when it matters most.
Sañjaya narrates Duryodhana’s approach to King Śalya on the battlefield. With a gesture of folded hands, Duryodhana urges Śalya—renowned for prowess like Droṇa and Bhīṣma—to show his loyalty, declaring that the decisive time has come when one’s status as friend or foe is tested.