Shloka 55

Devanagari script

करवाणि च ते काम ब्रूहि त्वमभिकड्क्षितम्‌ । एवंगते महाराज युद्धादन्‍यत्‌ किमिच्छसि,महाराज! मैं तुम्हारी कामना पूर्ण करूँगा। तुम्हारा अभीष्ट मनोरथ क्या है? वर्तमान परिस्थितिमें मैं तुम्हारी ओरसे युद्ध तो कर नहीं सकता; उसे छोड़कर तुम बताओ, क्या चाहते हो?

Transliteration

karavāṇi ca te kāma brūhi tvam abhikāṅkṣitam | evaṃgate mahārāja yuddhād anyat kim icchasi ||

Translation

ದ್ರೋಣನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ನಿನ್ನ ಆಸೆಯನ್ನು ನಾನು ನೆರವೇರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ನೀನು ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ಏನು ಬಯಸುತ್ತೀಯೋ ಹೇಳು. ಮಹಾರಾಜ, ಈಗ ಈ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿನ್ನ ಪರವಾಗಿ ನಾನು ಯುದ್ಧ ಮಾಡಲಾರೆ; ಯುದ್ಧವನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ನೀನು ಇನ್ನೇನು ಬಯಸುತ್ತೀಯ?

Word by Word

करवाणिmay I do / let me do

चand

तेfor you / to you

कामO desire (dear one) / O beloved

ब्रूहिtell (me)

त्वम्you

अभिकाङ्क्षितम्desired / wished-for

एवम्thus / in this way

गतेwhen (things have) gone / in the situation having come to be

महाराजO great king

युद्धात्from battle / than battle

अन्यत्something else

किम्what?

इच्छसिyou desire / you want

Speaker

द्रोण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Droṇa

Mahārāja (the king addressed)

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 ethical restraint and clarity of intention: even a powerful warrior-teacher like Droṇa frames action in terms of what is permissible in the given circumstances, offering to fulfill a request but explicitly limiting it by refusing to fight, implying that duty and moral boundaries govern service.

What is happening in the narrative?

Droṇa addresses a king and invites him to state his desired request. However, he declares that, given the present situation, he cannot engage in battle on the king’s behalf, and therefore asks what other non-martial wish the king wants fulfilled.