Shloka 5
Droṇa’s Resolve to Restrain Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna’s Protective Vow (द्रोणस्य युधिष्ठिरनिग्रह-प्रयत्नः)
ततो दुर्योधनो राजा कर्णदुःशासनादिशभि: । सम्मन्त्रयोवाच दुर्धर्षमाचार्य जयतां बरम्,तब राजा दुर्योधनने कर्ण, दःशासन आदिके साथ सलाह करके विजयी वीरोंमें श्रेष्ठ एवं दुर्जय आचार्य द्रोणसे इस प्रकार कहा--
tato duryodhano rājā karṇa-duḥśāsanādiśabhiḥ sammantryovāca durdharṣam ācāryaṃ jayatāṃ varam |
قال سَنْجَايَا: ثم إن الملك دُرْيُودْهَنَة، بعد أن تشاور مع كَرْنَة ودُحْشَاسَنَة وغيرهما، خاطب المُعلِّم الذي لا يُقهَر، الآچاريا دْرُونَة—سيدَ الظافرين من المحاربين—بهذا القول.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the role of deliberation (sammantrya) before action: leaders seek counsel and then approach the most capable agent for execution. Ethically, it also hints at the tragic irony of relying on power and expertise in a war whose righteousness is contested—strategic prudence does not automatically confer moral legitimacy.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana consults with Karṇa, Duḥśāsana, and other allies, and then addresses Droṇa, praising him as invincible and foremost among victors, preparing to request or direct a crucial course of action in the ongoing battle.