Shloka 23
स्मयन्नेव तु तान् वीरान् द्रोण: प्रत्यग्रहीत् स्वयम् । अतिथीनागतान् यद्धत् सलिलेनासनेन च,राजन्! जैसे घरपर आये हुए अतिथियोंका जल और आसन आदिके द्वारा सत्कार किया जाता है, उसी प्रकार द्रोणाचार्यने स्वयं उन समस्त आक्रमणकारी वीरोंकी मुसकराते हुए ही अगवानी की। जैसे अतिथिसत्कारमें निपुण गृहस्थके घर जाकर अतिथि तृप्त होते हैं, उसी प्रकार धनुर्धर द्रोणाचार्यके बाणोंसे उन सबकी यशथेष्ट तृप्ति की गयी
smayann eva tu tān vīrān droṇaḥ pratyagrāhīt svayam | atithīn āgatān yathā salilenāsanena ca, rājan ||
Sañjaya said: Smiling as he did so, Droṇa himself went forward to receive those heroes—just as a householder welcomes arriving guests with water and a seat, O King. In the same spirit, skilled in the ‘hospitality’ of battle, the great archer satisfied them to their fill with his arrows—granting them the grim reception that war demands.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses an irony-laden hospitality metaphor to show how dharma shifts by context: a householder honors guests with water and a seat, while a warrior-leader ‘honors’ attackers by meeting them directly with disciplined force. It highlights composure, readiness, and role-based duty (svadharma) even amid violence.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa facing a group of advancing enemy heroes. Instead of retreating, Droṇa personally goes forward, smiling, as if receiving guests—then engages them with his arrows, giving them a fierce ‘welcome’ on the battlefield.