Shloka 62

Devanagari script

त॑ं दृष्टवा विहितं मृत्युं लोकतत्त्वविचक्षण: । दिव्यान्यस्त्राण्यथोत्सज्य रणे प्रायमुपाविशत्‌,लोकतत्त्वके ज्ञानमें निपुण आचार्य अपनी दैवविहित मृत्युरूप धृष्टद्युम्मनको सामने देख दिव्यास्त्रोंका परित्याग करके आमरण उपवासका नियम ले रणभूमिमें बैठ गये

Transliteration

taṁ dṛṣṭvā vihitaṁ mṛtyuṁ lokatattvavicakṣaṇaḥ | divyāny astrāṇy athotsajya raṇe prāyam upāviśat ||

Translation

Seeing before him the death ordained for him, the teacher—keenly discerning the true nature of the world—cast aside his celestial weapons and, on the battlefield itself, sat down undertaking prāya (a vow of fasting unto death).

Word by Word

तम्him

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

विहितम्ordained, appointed

मृत्युम्death

लोकतत्त्वविचक्षणःskilled in discerning the truth of the world

दिव्यानिdivine

अस्त्राणिweapons (missiles)

अथthen

उत्सज्यhaving cast aside, abandoning

रणेin battle

प्रायम्fast unto death (prāya)

उपाविशत्sat down, took a seat

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kṛpa (speaker)

Droṇa (implied by 'ācārya' in the received Hindi gloss)

Dṛṣṭadyumna (as the destined agent of death, per the received gloss)

divyāni astrāṇi (celestial weapons)

raṇa (battlefield)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dharmic and ethical pivot: when one clearly perceives the world’s truth and the inevitability of what is ordained, one may renounce even powerful means (celestial weapons) and choose self-restraint and acceptance rather than further violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛpa describes the moment when the ācārya, seeing his destined death approaching (understood in context as Dṛṣṭadyumna), abandons the use of divine weapons and sits down on the battlefield undertaking prāya—a vow of fasting unto death.