Shloka 38
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
“जब मैंने इस तरह पूछा, तब द्रोणकुमारने मुझे इस प्रकार उत्तर दिया--'श्रीकृष्ण! मैं आपकी पूजा करके फिर आपके ही साथ युद्ध करूँगा। प्रभो! मैं यह सच कहता हूँ कि मैंने इस देव-दानवपूजित चक्रको आपसे इसीलिये माँगा था कि इसे पाकर अजेय हो जाऊँ ।।
tvatto 'haṁ durlabhaṁ kāmam anavāpyaiva keśava | pratiyāsyāmi govinda śivenābhivadāsva mām ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Quand je l’interrogeai ainsi, le fils de Droṇa me répondit : “Keśava, sans obtenir de toi ce rare bienfait que je recherche, je m’en retournerai. Govinda, accorde-moi du moins ceci : adresse-moi ces mots : ‘Que l’auspice soit pour toi.’”»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one’s aim is ethically compromised, the conscience still seeks moral sanction. The verse highlights the tension between craving power for conflict and yearning for auspicious approval from a righteous authority—showing how devotion can be invoked to legitimize questionable intentions, and how true dharma cannot be reduced to mere verbal blessing.
Vaiśampāyana narrates Droṇa’s son speaking to Kṛṣṇa. Having asked for a rare boon (contextually, a powerful weapon/means to become ‘unconquerable’) and failing to obtain it, he declares he will depart. Yet he requests that Kṛṣṇa at least bid him ‘śiva’—a word of welfare—seeking an auspicious send-off despite the war-driven purpose behind his request.