Shloka 17
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
यावत् ते नोपगच्छन्ति तावदस्मै परां क्रियाम् द्रोण आचष्ट पुत्राय तत् कर्म जिष्णुरौहत,वे अन्य सब शिष्योंको तो पानी लानेके लिये कमण्डलु देते, जिससे उन्हें लौटनेमें कुछ विलम्ब हो जाय; परंतु अपने पुत्र अश्वत्थामाको बड़े मुँहका घड़ा देते, जिससे उसके लौटनेमें विलम्ब न हो (अत: अभ्वत्थामा सबसे पहले पानी भरकर उनके पास लौट आता था)। जबतक दूसरे शिष्य लौट नहीं आते, तबतक वे अपने पुत्र अश्वत्थामाको अस्त्र- संचालनकी कोई उत्तम विधि बतलाते थे। अर्जुनने उनके इस कार्यको जान लिया
yāvat te nopagacchanti tāvad asmai parāṃ kriyām | droṇa ācakṣa putrāya tat karma jiṣṇur auhat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As long as the other pupils had not yet returned, Droṇa would teach his own son the higher and more refined techniques of weapon-practice. Arjuna (Jiṣṇu) noticed this conduct—how the teacher, by arranging matters so that the others were delayed, reserved privileged instruction for Aśvatthāmā. The episode highlights the ethical tension between a teacher’s impartial duty and the pull of familial favoritism, and it becomes a spur for Arjuna’s resolve to excel despite unequal access.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical problem of favoritism in teaching: a guru’s duty is ideally impartial, yet personal attachment can distort access to knowledge. Arjuna’s awareness of this bias becomes a moral and motivational lesson—excellence may require vigilance and determination even when conditions are unequal.
While the other students are away, Droṇa uses the interval to teach his son Aśvatthāmā advanced methods of weapon-practice. Arjuna observes and understands this preferential instruction.