Shloka 20
Vāraṇāvata-praveśa and Jatugṛha-saṃdeha
Entry into Vāraṇāvata and Suspicion of the Lac-House
रंगमध्यं तदा5<चार्य: सपुत्र: प्रविवेश ह | नभो जलधरैहीनं साड्रारक इवांशुमान्,तदनन्तर श्वैत वस्त्र और श्वेत यज्ञोपवीत धारण किये आचार्य द्रोणने अपने पुत्र अश्वृत्थामाके साथ रंगभूमिमें प्रवेश किया; मानो मेघरहित आकाशमें चन्द्रमाने मंगलके साथ पदार्पण किया हो। आचार्यके सिर और दाढ़ी-मूँछके बाल सफेद हो गये थे। वे श्वेत पुष्पोंकी माला और श्वेत चन्दनसे सुशोभित हो रहे थे
raṅgamadhyaṁ tadā ācāryaḥ saputraḥ praviveśa ha | nabho jaladharair hīnaṁ sādrāraka ivāṁśumān ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: Then the preceptor Droṇa entered the middle of the arena, accompanied by his son. He shone like the moon appearing in a cloudless sky, as if attended by the planet Mars—an image that heightens the solemnity of the moment and frames the teacher’s arrival as auspicious and authoritative. The scene underscores the ethical weight of instruction: the arena is not merely for display, but a public stage where mastery, discipline, and the responsibilities of a guru will soon shape the princes’ future conduct.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the guru’s presence through celestial simile, implying that instruction and discipline carry public, ethical consequence. Droṇa’s entry signals that learning (especially martial and royal training) is not value-neutral: it shapes character, duty, and the future exercise of power.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra narrates that Droṇa, accompanied by his son Aśvatthāmā, enters the center of the arena. The text compares his radiance to the moon in a cloudless sky, with Mars nearby, emphasizing the grandeur and auspiciousness of the moment before the princes’ demonstrations and ensuing developments.