Shloka 56
दुर्योधन–द्रोणसंवादः
Arjuna-vīrya-prasaṃśā and renewed battle formation
त्वंतुविप्रश्न वृद्धक्ष अशक्तश्नापि संयुगे कृतस्नेहश्न पार्थेषु मोहान्मामवमन्यसे,“तुम तो ब्राह्मण और उसमें भी बूढ़े हो। तुममें युद्ध करनेकी शक्ति है ही नहीं। इसके सिवा, तुम कुन्तीके पुत्रोंपर स्नेह रखते हो; इसलिये मोहवश मेरा अपमान कर रहे हो
tvaṁ tu vipraś ca vṛddhaś ca aśaktaś cāpi saṁyuge | kṛtasnehaś ca pārtheṣu mohān mām avamanyase ||
Sañjaya said: “But you are a brāhmaṇa, and moreover an old man—indeed you have no strength for battle. And since you bear affection for the sons of Pṛthā, you are, out of delusion, showing contempt for me.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how social labels (brāhmaṇa, old age) and personal attachments can be weaponized in speech to delegitimize another’s stance; it also points to moha (delusion) as a cause of disrespectful conduct, warning that contempt often arises from misjudgment and bias rather than clear discernment.
Sañjaya reports a harsh rebuke directed at an elderly brāhmaṇa: the speaker argues he is unfit for combat and accuses him of partiality toward the Pārthas, claiming that this attachment leads him to insult the speaker.