Shloka 53

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणं वृद्धमाचार्य न्यस्तशस्त्रं महामुनिम्‌ । घातयित्वाद्य राज्यार्थे मृतं श्रेयो न जीवितम्‌,एक तो वे ब्राह्मण, दूसरे वृद्ध और तीसरे अपने आचार्य थे। इसके सिवा उन्होंने हथियार नीचे डाल दिया था और महान मुनिवृत्तिका आश्रय लेकर बैठे हुए थे। इस अवस्थामें राज्यके लिये उनकी हत्या कराकर मैं जीनेकी अपेक्षा मर जाना ही अच्छा समझता हूँ

Transliteration

brāhmaṇaṃ vṛddham ācārya nyastaśastraṃ mahāmunim | ghātayitvā'dya rājyārthe mṛtaṃ śreyo na jīvitam ||

Translation

Arjuna said: “He is a brāhmaṇa, an aged man, and moreover our own teacher—having laid down his weapons, a great sage. If, for the sake of a kingdom, I were to have him slain today, then death would be better for me than life.”

Word by Word

ब्राह्मणम्a Brahmin

वृद्धम्aged, old

आचार्यO teacher (address)

न्यस्तlaid down, set aside

शस्त्रम्weapon

महामुनिम्the great sage

घातयित्वाhaving caused (him) to be slain

अद्यtoday, now

राज्यfor the kingdom

अर्थेfor the sake/purpose (in the matter) of

मृतम्death (to die)

श्रेयःbetter, preferable

नnot (than)

जीवितम्life, living

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna (speaker)

Ācārya (the teacher—contextually Droṇa)

Brāhmaṇa

Weapons (śastra)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes