Shloka 306

Devanagari script

ततः प्रादुश्चकारास्त्रमस्त्रमार्गविशारद: । जब द्रोणाचार्य पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनकी अपेक्षा अपनी विशेषता न सिद्ध कर सके, तब अस्त्रमार्गोके ज्ञाता गुरुदेवने दिव्यास्त्रोंकोी प्रकट किया

Transliteration

tataḥ prāduścakārāstram astramārgaviśāradaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the master who was thoroughly skilled in the pathways and applications of weapons-mantras manifested a divine missile. In the moral tension of the battlefield, when ordinary prowess no longer sufficed to establish superiority, the teacher’s resort to higher astras signals both the escalation of war and the grave responsibility that accompanies specialized knowledge.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

प्रादुःmanifestly, into view

चकारmade, performed, brought about

अस्त्रम्weapon (missile/astral weapon)

अस्त्रमार्गविशारदःone skilled in the path/usage of weapons

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Drona (Droṇācārya)

Astra (divine weapon/missile)

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?

Specialized power (astra-knowledge) carries moral weight: when conflict escalates beyond ordinary means, the decision to deploy higher weapons must be understood as a serious ethical threshold, not merely a display of skill.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that an expert in the science and procedure of astras brings forth a divine weapon, indicating a heightened phase of battle where extraordinary means are invoked to gain advantage.