Shloka 24
अध्याय १४६ — निशायां सात्यकिदुर्योधनयुद्धम् / Chapter 146 — Night Battle: Sātyaki and Duryodhana; Śakuni’s Encirclement of Arjuna
न ज्ञातिमवमन्यन्ते वृद्धानां शासने रता: । न देवासुरगन्धर्वा न यक्षोरगराक्षसा:
na jñātim avamanyante vṛddhānāṃ śāsane ratāḥ | na devāsura-gandharvā na yakṣoraga-rākṣasāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Those who delight in abiding by the discipline laid down by the elders do not slight their own kinsmen. Not even the gods, the asuras, the gandharvas, the yakṣas, the nāgas, or the rākṣasas act otherwise.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Respect for one’s kin is upheld as a mark of dharma, especially for those committed to the guidance and discipline of elders; the verse universalizes this norm by saying that even superhuman classes are not exceptions to it.
In the Drona Parva’s war narration, Sañjaya emphasizes a moral standard—obedience to elder counsel and the refusal to dishonor relatives—framing the conduct expected amid the turmoil of battle.