Shloka 353

Devanagari script

तेन शिष्येण सर्वेभ्य: शस्त्रविद्भ्य: परंतप: । भारत! शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले द्रोणाचार्य उस शिष्यके द्वारा अपने-आपको भूमण्डलके सभी शस्त्रवेत्ताओंसे श्रेष्ठ मानने लगे

Transliteration

tena śiṣyeṇa sarvebhyaḥ śastravidbhyaḥ parantapaḥ | bhārata! śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-denavāle droṇācāryaḥ usa śiṣyeṇa svayam ātmānaṃ bhūmaṇḍalasya sarva-śastravettṛbhyaḥ śreṣṭhaṃ manyamānaḥ babhūva |

Translation

Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, through that disciple, Droṇācārya—an afflicter of enemies—came to regard himself as superior to all weapon-masters across the earth. The episode underscores how a teacher’s reputation and self-assessment can become bound up with the prowess of a single student, raising questions about pride, merit, and the ethical weight of martial excellence in war.

Word by Word

तेनby him/with that

शिष्येणby the disciple

सर्वेभ्यःfrom all; than all

शस्त्रविद्भ्यःthan the knowers of weapons

परंतपःthe scorcher of foes

भारतO Bharata

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra as addressee)

Droṇācārya

the disciple (unnamed in this verse)

bhūmaṇḍala (the earth/world)

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?

Martial excellence can inflate ego: a teacher may measure his own greatness through a student’s prowess. The verse invites reflection on how reputation, pride, and the pursuit of superiority can distort ethical judgment—especially in a war setting where skill is celebrated but its consequences are grave.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, empowered in status by a particular disciple’s achievements, begins to see himself as surpassing all weapon-experts on earth. It situates Droṇa’s self-confidence within the larger Drona Parva war narrative, where teachers and students are tested in lethal combat.