Shloka 26
अध्याय ५८ — वानरध्वजस्य महेन्द्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Chapter 58: Arjuna’s Deployment of the Indra-Weapon
द्रोणं हि समरे को5न्यो योद्धुमहति फाल्गुनात् । रौद्र: क्षत्रियधर्मोडयं गुरुणा यदयुध्यत । इत्यब्रुवञ्जनास्तत्र संग्रामशिरसि स्थिता:
droṇaṁ hi samare ko 'nyo yoddhum arhati phālgunāt | raudraḥ kṣatriyadharmo 'yaṁ guruṇā yad ayudhyata | ity abruvañ janās tatra saṅgrāma-śirasi sthitāḥ |
«Dans la bataille, qui donc, hormis Phālguna (Arjuna), serait apte à affronter Droṇa ? Oui, le devoir du kṣatriya est d’une âpreté terrible, puisqu’un disciple a dû combattre son propre maître !» Ainsi, les guerriers, debout à l’avant même du choc, s’entretenaient—émerveillés de la puissance sans égale de Droṇa et saisis par le coût éthique implacable que la guerre fait peser jusque sur les liens sacrés du guru et du disciple.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harshness of kṣatriya-dharma: war can compel even a disciple to oppose his own guru. It frames this not as personal hatred but as a grim consequence of duty and circumstance, inviting reflection on the ethical cost of martial obligation.
At the battlefront, the assembled warriors comment on Droṇa’s formidable prowess and conclude that only Arjuna (Phālguna) is truly capable of meeting him in combat. They simultaneously lament the dreadful situation in which the guru–disciple bond is strained by warfare.