Shloka 49

Devanagari script

तस्याचार्यस्य वृद्धस्य द्रोहो नित्योपकारिण: । कृत्वे हानार्यरस्माभी राज्यार्थे लुब्धबुद्धिभि:

Transliteration

tasya ācāryasya vṛddhasya droho nityopakāriṇaḥ | kṛtve hānāryair asmābhī rājārthe lubdhabuddhibhiḥ ||

Translation

Arjuna sprach: „Wir haben Verrat an jenem betagten Lehrer begangen—der uns stets Wohltäter war—getrieben von gierigen Gedanken um des Königtums willen. Ein solches Verhalten ist unwürdig und befleckt selbst im Krieg unsere Sache mit moralischer Schuld.“

Word by Word

तस्यof that (man)

आचार्यस्यof the teacher

वृद्धस्यaged, old

द्रोहःbetrayal, treachery

नित्योपकारिणःof the ever-beneficent (one)

कृत्वाhaving done

एतत्this

अनार्यम्unworthy, ignoble

अस्माभिःby us

राज्यार्थेfor the sake of the kingdom

लुब्धबुद्धिभिःby (us) of greedy mind

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Droṇa (the aged ācārya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in war, dharma places limits: betraying an aged teacher and benefactor for political gain is condemned as anārya (ignoble). The verse highlights inner moral accountability beyond mere victory.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna reflects with remorse that ‘we’ have acted treacherously toward Droṇa, their venerable preceptor, and admits that the motive—securing kingship—sprang from greed, making the act ethically blameworthy.