Shloka 11

धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मे दैवे तथेष्वस्त्रे यमुपासन्‌ गुणार्थिन:

Transliteration

brāhme daive tatheṣvastre yamupāsan guṇārthinaḥ

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Seeking excellence and mastery, they worshipped him through Brahmanic rites, divine observances, and the discipline of weapons.”

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मे: in the Brahma-weapon (brahmāstra)
• ब्राह्मे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्राह्म (ब्राह्म-)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• दैवे: in the divine (weapon)
• दैवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दैव (दैव-)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• तथा: likewise; also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• इषु: in the arrow (weapon)
• इषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: इषु (इषु-)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अस्त्रे: in the weapon
• अस्त्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र (अस्त्र-)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• यम्: whom
• यम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उपासन्: worshipping; attending upon
• उपासन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-आस् (आस्)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• गुणार्थिनः: seekers of excellence/merit
• गुणार्थिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुणार्थिन् (गुणार्थिन्-)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• the revered person referred to as 'yam' (unspecified in this half-verse)
• Brahmanic rites (brāhma)
• divine rites (daiva)
• missile-weapons/archery (iṣv-astra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that true capability—especially martial power—should be grounded in disciplined training and reverence for higher principles (Vedic and divine observances), not pursued as mere force; excellence is sought through both sacred and practical disciplines.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes how certain seekers of excellence revered a particular figure (contextually, a revered teacher or master) through ritual, religious observance, and the practice of weapon-science, indicating the person’s stature and the disciplined approach of the followers.