Shloka 6
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
त॑ पुत्रो5प्पेक एवैनमन्वयाचदमर्षण: । ततः प्रोवाच पुत्राय नातिदहृष्टमना इव
tataḥ putro ’py eka evainam anvayācad amarṣaṇaḥ | tataḥ provāca putrāya nātidahṛṣṭamanā iva ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Alors son fils unique, lui aussi, ne pouvant le supporter, le supplia pour cette même arme. Le maître instruisit donc son fils dans ce projectile; pourtant, son cœur ne paraissait guère réjoui—comme pour laisser entendre le poids moral et le péril qu’il y a à transmettre une puissance si destructrice, même à son propre enfant.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical burden of transmitting destructive knowledge: even when a request is legitimate (from one’s own son), a responsible teacher may feel inner reluctance, aware that power without restraint can lead to adharma and catastrophe.
Aśvatthāmā, described as the teacher’s only son, cannot tolerate the situation and asks his father for the same powerful weapon. Droṇa instructs him in it, but appears not truly pleased, foreshadowing the dangerous consequences of such weapon-knowledge in the unfolding war.