Shloka 86
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
दुर्योधन उवाच आचार्य: पाण्डुपुत्रान् वै पुत्रवत् परिरक्षति । त्वमप्युपेक्षां कुरुषे तेषु नित्यं द्विजोत्तम,दुर्योधन बोला--द्विजश्रेष्ठ) हमारे आचार्य तो अपने पुत्रकी भाँति पाण्डवोंकी रक्षा करते हैं और तुम भी सदा उनकी उपेक्षा ही करते हो
duryodhana uvāca | ācāryaḥ pāṇḍuputrān vai putravat parirakṣati | tvam apy upekṣāṃ kuruṣe teṣu nityaṃ dvijottama ||
Duryodhana sprach: „O Bester der Brahmanen, unser Lehrer schützt die Söhne Pāṇḍus wahrlich wie seine eigenen Kinder. Und auch du, o Vornehmster der Zweimalgeborenen, zeigst ihnen fortwährend Gleichgültigkeit.“
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how perceived partiality and neglect can be weaponized in conflict: Duryodhana frames the teacher’s protective attitude toward the Pāṇḍavas as favoritism and rebukes the addressed Brahmin for ongoing indifference, revealing the ethical tension between impartial duty and factional loyalty in wartime.
In the midst of the Drona Parva’s war setting, Duryodhana voices grievance that the preceptor treats the Pāṇḍavas like his own sons and accuses the person he addresses (a ‘dvijottama’) of consistently overlooking them—an attempt to pressure allies and shape conduct by appealing to loyalty and resentment.