Shloka 15

Kuntī–Karṇa Saṃvāda: Lineage Disclosure and Appeal to Fraternal Dharma

Devanagari script

नाचार्य: कामवान्‌ शिष्यैद्रोणो युद्धोत जातुचित्‌

Transliteration

nācāryaḥ kāmavān śiṣyair droṇo yuddhota jātucit

Translation

Droṇa, meski seorang ācārya, tak pernah digerakkan oleh hasrat pribadi dalam urusan perang; dan ia pun tak pernah dipengaruhi oleh keberpihakan kepada murid-muridnya.

Word by Word

नnot

आचार्यःthe teacher (Drona)

कामवान्desirous; acting from desire

शिष्यैःby/with (his) disciples

द्रोणःDrona

युद्धेin battle

उतindeed; and; also

जातुever; at any time

चित्even; at all (emphatic particle)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Droṇa

śiṣya (disciples)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A true ācārya should not be ruled by kāma (self-interested desire) or by partiality toward disciples; ethical steadiness and impartial judgment are especially vital in the context of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana characterizes Droṇa’s disposition, asserting that he was not desire-driven in warfare and was not led astray by his disciples—framing Droṇa as acting from duty rather than personal craving or factional pressure.