Shloka 41
यदा द्रष्टा संजयानामनीके धृष्टय्युम्न॑ प्रमुखे रोचमानम् । अस्त्र॑ यस्मै गुह्मुमुवाच धीमान् द्रोणस्तदा तप्स्यति धार्तराष्ट्र:,जिसे परम बुद्धिमान आचार्य द्रोणने अस्त्रविद्याके गोपनीय रहस्यकी भी शिक्षा दी है, वह धृष्टद्युम्न जब सूंजयवंशी वीरोंकी सेनाके अग्रभागमें प्रकाशित होगा और उसे उस दशामें दुर्योधन देखेगा, तब वह अत्यन्त संतप्त हो उठेगा
yadā draṣṭā sañjayānām anīke dhṛṣṭadyumnam pramukhe rocamānam | astraṁ yasmai guhyaṁ uvāca dhīmān droṇas tadā tapsyati dhārtarāṣṭraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: When Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana) sees Dhrishtadyumna shining at the very front of the Pāṇḍava host, he will be deeply tormented—because it was to that very man that the wise teacher Droṇa once disclosed the secret inner knowledge of weaponry. The sight turns instruction into irony: what was taught in trust now stands as a threat on the battlefield, and Duryodhana’s mind burns with foreboding and regret.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension in martial instruction: knowledge given in trust can return as a weapon against one’s own side. It underscores how actions and alliances in war create moral consequences—Duryodhana’s anguish arises from seeing Drona’s confidential teaching embodied in an enemy commander.
Sanjaya predicts Duryodhana’s reaction on the battlefield: when Duryodhana beholds Dhrishtadyumna leading the opposing army in splendor, he will feel intense distress, remembering that Drona had once taught Dhrishtadyumna secret aspects of weapon-lore.