Shloka 223
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तस्माच्छस्त्रेण निधन न त्वमर्हसि दुर्मते । उसकी उस अस्पष्ट वाणीको सुनकर द्रोणपुत्रने कहा--'रे कुलकलंक! अपने आचार्यकी हत्या करनेवाले लोगोंके लिये पुण्यलोक नहीं है; अतः दुर्मते! तू शस्त्रके द्वारा मारे जानेके योग्य नहीं है”
tasmāc chastreṇa nidhanaṁ na tvam arhasi durmate |
Sañjaya said: “Therefore, you do not deserve death by the weapon, O evil-minded one.” In the surrounding exchange, Aśvatthāmā (Drona’s son) condemns the slayer of his teacher as unworthy of a righteous warrior’s end, framing the punishment in ethical terms: one who has violated the sanctity of the guru and the codes of war forfeits the honor of a kṣatriya death and is to be dealt with by a harsher, disgrace-laden fate.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that certain acts—especially betrayal or killing of one’s teacher (guru)—strip a person of the honor due to a lawful warrior’s death. Ethical transgression leads not only to punishment but also to loss of dignity and rightful status.
In the Sauptika Parva’s tense aftermath of Drona’s killing and the night of retaliatory violence, Sañjaya reports a statement declaring that the addressed offender is not fit to be slain in a straightforward, honorable weapon-combat manner, implying a more ignominious consequence.