Shloka 57
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
ब्रवीम्येतत् क्लीबवत् त्वां युद्धादन्यत् किमिच्छसि । योत्स्ये5हं कौरवस्यार्थ तवाशास्यो जयो मया,इसीलिये आज नपुंसककी तरह तुमसे पूछता हूँ कि तुम युद्धके सिवा और क्या चाहते हो? मैं दुर्योधनके लिये युद्ध करूँगा; परंतु जीत तुम्हारी ही चाहूँगा
bravīmy etat klībavat tvāṁ yuddhād anyat kim icchasi | yotsye 'haṁ kauravasyārthe tavāśāsyo jayo mayā ||
Droṇa said: “I say this to you—almost as one would question an impotent man: apart from battle, what else do you desire? I will fight for the Kaurava cause; yet the victory I wish for is yours.”
द्रोण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension between declared allegiance and inner ethical preference: Droṇa commits to fight for the Kaurava cause, yet expresses a personal wish for the other party’s victory. It illustrates how duty, obligation, and personal conscience can diverge in wartime.
Droṇa addresses an interlocutor with a stinging rebuke (“like a klība”), pressing him to choose battle rather than seek alternatives. At the same time, Droṇa states his role as a combatant for the Kauravas while revealing a contrary personal hope regarding who should ultimately win.