Shloka 9
इत्युक्तवान् गुरु: पुत्र द्रोण: पश्चादथोक्तवान् । न त्वं जातु सतां मार्गे स्थातेति पुरुषर्षभ,“नरश्रेष्ठ! अपने पुत्रसे ऐसा कहकर गुरु द्रोण पुनः: उससे बोले--“बेटा! मुझे संदेह है कि तुम कभी सत्पुरुषोंके मार्गपर स्थिर नहीं रहोगे”
ity uktavān guruḥ putra droṇaḥ paścād athoktavān | na tvaṃ jātu satāṃ mārge sthāteti puruṣarṣabha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having spoken thus, the teacher Droṇa then addressed his son again: “O bull among men, I do not believe you will ever stand firm upon the path followed by the good.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A teacher’s ethical appraisal matters: Droṇa warns that without inner restraint and commitment to virtue, one cannot remain steady on the path of the righteous (satāṃ mārga). The verse highlights steadfastness in dharma as a defining moral quality.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, Droṇa—after saying something earlier—speaks again to his son and delivers a grave judgment: he doubts the son will ever adhere firmly to the conduct of good people, foreshadowing moral deviation in the surrounding war narrative.