Shloka 393
शाश्च॒तं धर्ममुत्सज्य गुरु: शस्त्रेण घातित: । पुत्रवत्सल गुरुदेव बेटेके शोकमें मग्न होकर युद्धसे विमुख हो गये थे। उस अवस्थामें आपने सनातनधर्मकी अवहेलना करके उन्हें शस्त्रसे मरवा डाला
śāśvataṃ dharmam utsṛjya guruḥ śastreṇa ghātitaḥ |
Arjuna said: “Casting aside the eternal law of righteousness, you had the Guru struck down by weapons. Though he was a revered teacher, tenderly attached to his son and overwhelmed by grief—having turned away from battle in that condition—you disregarded the timeless demands of dharma and caused him to be slain.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, one must not abandon śāśvata-dharma—timeless ethical restraints. The verse frames the killing of a revered guru, especially when he is grief-stricken and withdrawn from combat, as a grave moral lapse and a violation of righteous conduct.
Arjuna is reproaching the act of having the Guru (Droṇa) killed by weapons, emphasizing that Droṇa—overcome by sorrow and affection for his son—had become disengaged from fighting, and that exploiting this condition to bring about his death amounted to setting aside dharma.