Shloka 36
न हि मे जीवितेनार्थस्तानृते पुरुषर्ष भान् आचार्य: पाण्डुपुत्राणामनुजानातु नो भवान्,उन पुरुषरत्न मित्रोंके बिना अब मेरे जीवित रहनेका कोई प्रयोजन नहीं है। आप हम पाण्डुपुत्रोंके आचार्य हैं, अतः मुझे जानेकी आज्ञा दें
na hi me jīvitena arthaḥ tān ṛte puruṣarṣabhān | ācāryaḥ pāṇḍuputrāṇām anujānātu no bhavān ||
Duryodhana said: “Indeed, my life has no purpose without those bull-like heroes. You are the preceptor of the sons of Pāṇḍu; therefore, grant me leave to depart.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment to comrades and the code of honor in war can drive a person toward despair and self-destructive resolve; it also underscores the ethical weight of seeking a teacher’s sanction before a decisive act.
In the midst of the Drona Parva’s crisis, Duryodhana, overwhelmed by the loss or absence of key heroes, tells the Ācārya (Droṇa) that life is meaningless without them and asks permission to depart—implying a resolve to leave the field or embrace death.