Shloka 56
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
अर्थस्य पुरुषो दासो दासस्त्वर्थों न कस्यचित् । इति सत्यं महाराज बद्धो<स्म्यर्थेन कौरवै:,पुरुष अर्थका दास है, अर्थ किसीका दास नहीं है। महाराज! यह सच्ची बात है। मैं कौरवोंके द्वारा अर्थसे बँधा हुआ हूँ
arthasya puruṣo dāso dāsas tv artho na kasyacit | iti satyaṃ mahārāja baddho 'smy arthena kauravaiḥ ||
Droṇa berkata: “Manusia menjadi hamba kepada harta; tetapi harta tidak menjadi hamba kepada sesiapa. Itulah kebenaran, wahai Maharaja. Dengan harta—dengan ikatan kewajipan yang ditimbulkannya—aku telah terbelenggu oleh kaum Kaurava.”
द्रोण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that people often become enslaved by wealth and the obligations tied to it, while wealth itself has no loyalty or master. Ethical agency can be compromised when one’s livelihood or debts dictate one’s choices.
Droṇa explains to the addressed king that his alignment with the Kauravas is not purely a matter of free moral preference; he feels constrained by material ties—support, patronage, and the resulting obligation—through which the Kauravas have ‘bound’ him.