Shloka 4

Devanagari script

येन रामादवाप्येह धरनुर्वेदं महात्मना | प्रोक्तान्यस्त्राणि दिव्यानि पुत्राय गुणकाड्क्षिणा,गुणोंकी अभिलाषा रखनेवाले उन महात्मा द्रोणने इस लोकमें परशुरामजीसे धनुर्वेदकी शिक्षा पाकर वे समस्त दिव्यास्त्र अपने पुत्रको भी सिखाये थे

Transliteration

yena rāmād avāpyeha dhanuḥvedaṁ mahātmanā | proktāny astrāṇi divyāni putrāya guṇakāṅkṣiṇā ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Di dunia ini, Droṇa yang berhati agung telah memperoleh daripada Rāma (Paraśurāma) ilmu dhanurveda, yakni ilmu memanah; dan kerana menginginkan puteranya mencapai keunggulan dalam budi dan kemahiran, beliau mengajarkan kepadanya segala senjata ilahi yang telah diajarkan kepadanya.”

Word by Word

येनby which/with whom

रामात्from Rama (Parashurama)

अवाप्यhaving obtained

इहhere, in this world

धनुः-वेदम्the science of archery

महात्मनाby the great-souled one

प्रोक्तानिtaught/declared

अस्त्राणिweapons (missiles)

दिव्यानिdivine

पुत्रायto (his) son

गुण-अकाङ्क्षिणाby one desiring excellence/virtues

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Droṇa

Rāma (Paraśurāma)

Droṇa's son (Aśvatthāmā)

dhanuḥveda

divyāstras

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how specialized power (divine weapons) is transmitted through disciplined learning and lineage, implying an ethical responsibility: extraordinary knowledge should be taught with discernment, since it shapes the moral and martial capacity of the next generation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra recalls that Droṇa first learned dhanurveda from Paraśurāma and then passed on the same divine weapons to his son (Aśvatthāmā), motivated by a desire for his son's excellence in qualities and prowess.