Shloka 30

Devanagari script

दुर्योधन उवाच आचार्यपुत्र यद्येतद्‌ द्विरस्त्रं न प्रयुज्यते । अन्यैर्गुरुध्ना वध्यन्तामस्त्रैरस्त्रविदां वर,दुर्योधन बोला--आचार्यपुत्र! तुम तो सम्पूर्ण अस्त्रवेत्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ हो। यदि इस अस्त्रका दो बार प्रयोग नहीं हो सकता तो तुम दूसरे ही अस्त्रोंद्वारा इन गुरुघातियोंका वध करो

Transliteration

duryodhana uvāca

ācārya-putra yady etad dvir-astraṃ na prayujyate |

anyair guru-ghnā vadhyantām astrair astravidāṃ vara ||

Translation

ドゥルヨーダナは言った。「師の子よ、もしこの武器が二度と用いられぬのなら——武器に通じた者のうち最上の汝よ——ほかの武器で、この師殺しどもを討て。」

Word by Word

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

उवाचsaid

आचार्यपुत्रO teacher's son

यदिif

एतत्this

द्विःtwice

अस्त्रंweapon (missile)

नnot

प्रयुज्यतेis employed/used

अन्यैःby other (means)

गुरुध्नाःslayers of the teacher (guru-killers)

वध्यन्ताम्let (them) be slain

अस्त्रैःwith weapons

अस्त्रविदाम्of the knowers of weapons

वरO best

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Duryodhana

Aśvatthāman (implied by 'ācārya-putra')

Droṇa (implied by 'ācārya' and the charge of guru-slaying)

astra (weapon/missile)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how appeals to loyalty and moral outrage (here, the charge of ‘guru-slaying’) are used to justify escalation in war. It also reflects the ethical tension between reverence for the teacher and the impulse toward vengeance, showing how dharma-language can be mobilized for violent ends.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana addresses Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāman, urging him to kill those deemed responsible for the preceptor’s death. If a particular astra cannot be used twice, Duryodhana commands that other weapons be used instead, pressing for immediate retaliation on the battlefield.