Shloka 18

भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ७२: सैन्यगुणवर्णनम्, व्यूहरक्षा, दैव-पुरुषकारचिन्ता

Devanagari script

भ्रातृणां च वध युद्धे स्मरमाणो महारथ: । आचार्य सततं हि त्वं हितकामो ममानघ,तब बलवानोंमें श्रेष्ठ महारथी राजा दुर्योधनने पहले जो अपनी सेनाका घोर संहार हुआ था, उसको दृष्टिमें रखते हुए और युद्धमें भाइयोंके वधका स्मरण करते हुए भरद्वाजनन्दन द्रोणाचार्यसे कहा--“निष्पाप आचार्य! आप सदा ही मेरा हित चाहनेवाले हैं

Transliteration

bhrātṝṇāṁ ca vadhaṁ yuddhe smaramāṇo mahārathaḥ | ācārya satataṁ hi tvaṁ hitakāmo mamānagha ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: The great chariot-warrior (Duryodhana), keeping in mind the slaughter of his kinsmen in the battle and recalling the death of his brothers, addressed Droṇācārya, the son of Bharadvāja: “O blameless teacher, you are ever one who seeks my welfare.”

Word by Word

• {'bhrātṝṇām': 'of (his) brothers', 'ca': 'and', 'vadham': 'killing, slaughter, death', 'yuddhe': 'in battle, in war', 'smaramāṇaḥ': 'remembering, calling to mind', 'mahārathaḥ': 'a great chariot-warrior

• an elite fighter', 'ācārya': 'teacher

• preceptor (address to Droṇa)', 'satatam': 'always, continually', 'hi': 'indeed, surely', 'tvam': 'you', 'hitakāmaḥ': 'desiring welfare

• well-wisher', 'mama': 'of me

• my', 'anagha': 'blameless

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Droṇācārya (Droṇa)
• Bharadvāja (as Droṇa’s father, implied by ‘Bharadvāja-nandana’)
• brothers of Duryodhana (Kauravas, implied)
• battle/war (Kurukṣetra, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how remembrance of loss and kin-slaying shapes a leader’s appeal to authority: Duryodhana, shaken by the deaths of his brothers and the devastation of war, seeks guidance and support from his teacher. Ethically, it underscores the tragic cost of adharma-driven conflict—grief persists even for those who initiated or sustained the war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Duryodhana, reflecting on the heavy casualties and the killing of his brothers in the ongoing battle, approaches Droṇācārya and begins speaking respectfully, calling him blameless and acknowledging him as a constant well-wisher.