Shloka 18
Kalmāṣapāda’s Encounter with Śakti and the Escalation of the Vasiṣṭha–Viśvāmitra Feud (कल्माषपाद–शक्ति प्रसङ्गः)
द्रोण: शिष्यांस्तत: पार्थानिदं वचनमब्रवीत् । समानीय तु ताज्शिष्यान् द्रपदस्यासुखाय वै,तब द्रोणने सब शिष्योंको एकत्र करके, जिनमें कुन्तीके पुत्र तथा अन्य लोग भी थे, द्रपदको वष्ट देनेके उद्देश्यसे इस प्रकार कहा--
Droṇaḥ śiṣyāṁs tataḥ pārthān idaṁ vacanam abravīt | samānīya tu tāñ śiṣyān drupadasyāsukhāya vai |
Daraufhin versammelte Droṇa alle seine Schüler—besonders die Pārthas, Kuntīs Söhne, und die übrigen—und sprach so, in der Absicht, Drupada Kummer zu bereiten.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical fault-line: a teacher’s power over students can be misused when personal resentment becomes the motive. It invites reflection on dharma in leadership—whether authority should serve justice and duty, or private vengeance.
Droṇa gathers his pupils, including the Pāṇḍavas, and speaks to them with the aim of causing harm to King Drupada—foreshadowing the move to subdue Drupada as repayment for past humiliation and as a demand tied to Droṇa’s expectations from his students.