Shloka 52

Devanagari script

गुरूणामवमानो हि वध इत्यभिधीयते । “अतः भूपाल! अर्जुनने अपनी उस सच्ची प्रतिज्ञाकी रक्षा करते हुए मेरी आज्ञासे आपका यह अपमान किया; क्योंकि गुरुजनोंका अपमान ही उनका वध कहा जाता है ।। तस्मात्‌ त्वं वै महाबाहो मम पार्थस्य चोभयो:

Transliteration

gurūṇām avamāno hi vadha ity abhidhīyate |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Denn die Entehrung der Älteren und Lehrer wird selbst als eine Art ‘Tötung’ bezeichnet. Darum, o König, hat Arjuna—während er sein wahrhaftiges Gelübde wahrte—auf meinen Befehl dir diese Demütigung zugefügt; denn die Beleidigung ehrwürdiger Gurus gilt als ihre Vernichtung.“

Word by Word

गुरूणाम्of the elders/teachers

अवमानःdisrespect/insult

हिindeed/for

वधःkilling/slaying

इतिthus (quotative)

अभिधीयतेis called/said

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

gurus/elders (guravaḥ)

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?

The verse frames disrespect toward gurus/elders as a grave moral injury—so severe it is metaphorically equated with killing—highlighting the ethical weight of reverence and restraint even amid conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya explains that Arjuna’s act of humiliating a king/opponent is presented as compelled by duty: he is protecting a truthful vow and acting under instruction, while the text underscores that humiliating revered elders is tantamount to destroying them.