Mahabharata 7.202.30 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 202, Shloka 30
दुर्योधन उवाच आचार्यपुत्र यद्येतद् द्विरस्त्रं न प्रयुज्यते । अन्यैर्गुरुध्ना वध्यन्तामस्त्रैरस्त्रविदां वर
duryodhana uvāca
ācārya-putra yady etad dvir-astraṃ na prayujyate |
anyair guru-ghnā vadhyantām astrair astravidāṃ vara ||
Duryodhana disse: “Ó filho do preceptor, se esta arma não pode ser empregada uma segunda vez, então — ó melhor entre os conhecedores de armas — que estes matadores de seu mestre sejam mortos com outras armas.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.
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