Shloka 2
अमोघशक्तिव्यंसनप्रश्नः — Why Karṇa’s Śakti Was Not Used on Arjuna
धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--संजय! अमित तेजस्वी दुर्धर्ष वीर आचार्य द्रोणने जब रोष और अमर्षमें भरकर सूंजयोंकी सेनामें प्रवेश किया, उस समय तुमलोगोंकी मनोवृत्ति कैसी हुई? ।। दुर्योधन तथा पुत्रमुक्त्वा शास्त्रतिगं मम | यत् प्राविशदमेयात्मा किं पार्थ: प्रत्यपद्यत,गुरुजनोंकी आज्ञाका उल्लंघन करनेवाले मेरे पुत्र दुर्योधनसे पूर्वोक्त बातें कहकर जब अमेय आत्मबलसे सम्पन्न द्रोणाचार्यने शत्रु-सेनामें पदार्पण किया, तब कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुनने क्या किया?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca— sañjaya, amit-tejasā durdharṣeṇa vīreṇa ācārya-droṇena roṣāmārṣa-samanvitena yūyudhānānīke prāviśati sati yuṣmākaṁ manovṛttiḥ kīdṛśī abhavat? duryodhanaṁ ca mama putraṁ śāstrātigaṁ pūrvoktaṁ vacaḥ uktvā yad ameyātmā droṇaḥ śatru-senāṁ prāviśat, tadā kuntīkumāraḥ pārthaḥ kim pratyapadyata?
Dhritarashtra said: “Sanjaya, when the mighty, unconquerable hero, Acharya Drona—filled with wrath and offended pride—entered the army of Yuyudhana, what was the state of mind among your side? And after addressing my son Duryodhana, who transgresses the injunctions of the elders and the discipline of the treatises, when Drona, possessed of immeasurable inner strength, advanced into the enemy host—what course did Partha, Kunti’s son Arjuna, then adopt?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral-psychological inquiry: how anger and wounded pride (roṣa, amarṣa) drive even revered teachers into extreme action, and how leaders who disregard śāstra and elders (śāstrātiga) precipitate crises. It invites reflection on disciplined conduct versus impulsive wrath, and on responsible response (pratyapatti) in the face of formidable force.
Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya to report two things: (1) the morale and mental state of the Kaurava side when Drona, enraged, penetrated the Pandava formation associated with Yuyudhana (Satyaki), and (2) what Arjuna did in response when Drona—after speaking to Duryodhana—advanced into the enemy army.