Shloka 9
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
इत्युक्तवान् गुरु: पुत्र द्रोण: पश्चादथोक्तवान् । न त्वं जातु सतां मार्गे स्थातेति पुरुषर्षभ
ity uktavān guruḥ putra droṇaḥ paścād athoktavān | na tvaṃ jātu satāṃ mārge sthāteti puruṣarṣabha ||
गुरु द्रोण ने पुत्र से ऐसा कहकर फिर कहा—“नरश्रेष्ठ! मुझे नहीं लगता कि तुम कभी सत्पुरुषों के मार्ग पर स्थिर रहोगे।”
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.