Shloka 443
अन्तेवासिनमाचार्यों जिघांसु: पुत्रसम्मितम् । तत्पश्चात् पुत्रतुल्य शिष्यको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे आचार्यने धनुषपर परम उत्तम सुदृढ़ बाण रखा
antevāsinaṃ ācāryo jighāṃsuḥ putrasammitam | tatpaścāt putratulyaṃ śiṣyakaṃ mārayitum icchayā ācāryeṇa dhanuṣi paramottamaḥ sudṛḍho bāṇaḥ nyastaḥ |
Sañjaya said: The teacher, intent on killing his own resident disciple—one regarded as a son—then, with the desire to slay that pupil who was like a son to him, set upon his bow an excellent, exceedingly firm arrow. The moment exposes the moral fracture of war: even bonds of teacher and student, akin to family, are overridden by the resolve to destroy.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare can invert or eclipse ordinary dharma: even the sacred guru–śiṣya bond, treated as father–son, is strained to the point where the teacher becomes willing to kill. It invites reflection on the ethical cost of vengeance, allegiance, and battlefield duty.
Sañjaya narrates that the ācārya, determined to kill his own resident disciple (considered like a son), places a supremely strong and excellent arrow on his bow, preparing to strike.