Shloka 17

Devanagari script

त्वद्धितार्थ च नैषादिरड्गुछ्ेन वियोजित: । द्रोणेनाचार्यक॑ कृत्वा छद्मना सत्यविक्रम:,तुम्हारे हितके लिये ही द्रोणाचार्यने सत्यपराक्रमी एकलव्यका आचार्यत्व करके छलपूर्वक उसका अँगूठा कटवा दिया था

Transliteration

tvaddhitārthaṃ ca naiṣādir aṅguṣṭhena viyojitaḥ | droṇenācāryakaṃ kṛtvā chadmanā satyavikramaḥ ||

Translation

And it was for your own benefit that the Niṣāda youth (Ekalavya) was separated from his thumb. Droṇa, having accepted him as a teacher in name, deceitfully caused the truth-valiant Ekalavya’s thumb to be cut off—so that your preeminence would remain unharmed.

Word by Word

त्वत्from you / for your sake (as basis of purpose)

हितार्थम्for (the) benefit/purpose

चand

नैषादःthe Nishada (Ekalavya)

अङ्गुष्ठेनwith/by (his) thumb

वियोजितःseparated/deprived (of)

द्रोणेनby Drona

आचार्यकम्the status/role of teacher

कृत्वाhaving made/assuming

छद्मनाby deceit/with a ruse

सत्यविक्रमःof true valor (epithet)

Speaker

श्रीवायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Droṇa (Droṇācārya)

Ekalavya

Niṣāda

thumb (aṅguṣṭha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a morally charged tension between personal loyalty and ethical conduct: actions taken to secure one person’s advantage (protecting a favored disciple’s supremacy) can involve deception and harm to another who is genuinely talented. It invites reflection on dharma in the guru’s role and the cost of partiality.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva explains that Droṇa, under the pretext of being Ekalavya’s teacher, demanded a ‘guru-fee’ and had Ekalavya’s thumb cut off. The stated motive is to safeguard the addressee’s interests—traditionally understood as preserving Arjuna’s unmatched status in archery.