Shloka 52
गुरूणामवमानो हि वध इत्यभिधीयते । “अतः भूपाल! अर्जुनने अपनी उस सच्ची प्रतिज्ञाकी रक्षा करते हुए मेरी आज्ञासे आपका यह अपमान किया; क्योंकि गुरुजनोंका अपमान ही उनका वध कहा जाता है ।। तस्मात् त्वं वै महाबाहो मम पार्थस्य चोभयो:
gurūṇām avamāno hi vadha ity abhidhīyate |
Sañjaya said: “For the dishonouring of one’s elders and teachers is itself spoken of as a kind of ‘slaying’. Therefore, O king, Arjuna—while safeguarding his truthful vow—has, by my command, inflicted this humiliation upon you; for to insult venerable gurus is regarded as their destruction.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames disrespect toward gurus/elders as a grave moral injury—so severe it is metaphorically equated with killing—highlighting the ethical weight of reverence and restraint even amid conflict.
Sañjaya explains that Arjuna’s act of humiliating a king/opponent is presented as compelled by duty: he is protecting a truthful vow and acting under instruction, while the text underscores that humiliating revered elders is tantamount to destroying them.