Shloka 10

Devanagari script

स्तम्बमित्रस्तप: कुर्याद्‌ द्रोणो ब्रह्म॒विदां वर: । इत्येवमुक्त्वा प्रययौ पिता वो निर्घण: पुरा,पुत्रो! तुम्हारे निर्दयी पिता पहले ही यह कहकर चल दिये कि “जरितारि ज्येष्ठ है, अतः इस कुलकी रक्षाका भार इसीपर होगा। दूसरा पुत्र सारिसृक्क अपने पितरोंके कुलकी वृद्धि करनेवाला होगा। स्तम्बमित्र तपस्या करेगा और द्रोण ब्रह्मवेत्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ होगा"

Transliteration

stambhamitras tapaḥ kuryād droṇo brahmavidāṁ varaḥ | ityevam uktvā prayayau pitā vo nirghṛṇaḥ purā, putra |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Nachdem er so gesprochen hatte, ging euer erbarmungsloser Vater vor langer Zeit fort, o Sohn: ‚Stambhamitra wird Askese üben, und Droṇa wird der Vornehmste unter den Kennern des Brahman sein.‘“

Word by Word

स्तम्बमित्रःStambhamitra (a proper name)

तपःausterity, penance

कुर्यात्should do / would do

द्रोणःDrona (proper name)

ब्रह्मविदाम्of the knowers of Brahman

वरःbest, excellent

इतिthus (quotative)

एवम्thus, in this manner

उक्त्वाhaving said

प्रययौwent forth, departed

पिताfather

वःof you (plural)

निर्घणःpitiless, cruel

पुराformerly, earlier

पुत्रःson

Speaker

वैशमग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Stambhamitra

Droṇa

father (pitā)

Brahman-knowers (brahmavidaḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dharma-driven but emotionally harsh stance: a parent assigns life-duties—asceticism and pursuit of Brahman-knowledge—according to perceived role and destiny, showing how duty can be invoked at the cost of compassion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana reports that the father, after declaring what each son will become (Stambhamitra an ascetic; Droṇa a foremost knower of Brahman), leaves them behind; the departure is characterized as ‘nirghṛṇa’—without tenderness.