Shloka 42

धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa

Devanagari script

रक्षितारस्तत: शून्ये कच्चित्‌ तैर्न हतः परै: । किन वीरोंने युद्धमें द्रोणाचार्यको उत्तम धैर्य प्रदान किया? उनकी रक्षा करनेवाले मूर्ख क्षत्रियोंने भयभीत होकर युद्धस्थलमें उन्हें अकेला तो नहीं छोड़ दिया? और इस प्रकार शत्रुओंने सूनेमें तो उन्हें नहीं मार डाला? ।। ४१ $ ।। न स पृष्ठमरेस्त्रासाद्‌ रणे शौर्यात्‌ प्रदर्शयेत्‌

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | rakṣitārastataḥ śūnye kaccit tair na hataḥ paraiḥ | na sa pṛṣṭham arestrāsād raṇe śauryāt pradarśayet |

Translation

ಧೃತರಾಷ್ಟ್ರನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ರಕ್ಷಕರು ದೂರವಾದಾಗ ಅವನು ಒಂಟಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಶತ್ರುಗಳು ಅವನನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಜನ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊಡೆದು ಕೊಲ್ಲಲಿಲ್ಲವಲ್ಲ? ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ವೀರನು ಶತ್ರುಭಯದಿಂದ ರಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆನ್ನು ತೋರಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ; ಶೌರ್ಯವನ್ನೇ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ.

Word by Word

नnot

सःhe

पृष्ठम्back (his back)

अरेःof the enemy

त्रासात्from fear / due to fear

रणेin battle

शौर्यात्from valor / out of bravery

प्रदर्शयेत्should show / would display

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Droṇācārya (Droṇa)

enemy forces (parāḥ)

kṣatriya guards/protectors (rakṣitāraḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage underscores kṣatriya-dharma: fear must not lead a warrior to abandon his duty or turn his back in battle; protection of a commander is a moral and strategic obligation, and cowardly desertion is condemned.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra anxiously inquires about Droṇa’s safety and the conduct of those assigned to guard him—wondering whether they fled in fear and left him isolated, enabling the enemy to kill him, while also invoking the ideal that a warrior should not retreat out of fear.