Shloka 26
अध्याय ५८ — वानरध्वजस्य महेन्द्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Chapter 58: Arjuna’s Deployment of the Indra-Weapon
द्रोणं हि समरे को5न्यो योद्धुमहति फाल्गुनात् । रौद्र: क्षत्रियधर्मोडयं गुरुणा यदयुध्यत । इत्यब्रुवञ्जनास्तत्र संग्रामशिरसि स्थिता:
droṇaṁ hi samare ko 'nyo yoddhum arhati phālgunāt | raudraḥ kṣatriyadharmo 'yaṁ guruṇā yad ayudhyata | ity abruvañ janās tatra saṅgrāma-śirasi sthitāḥ |
“Em batalha, quem mais, além de Phālguna (Arjuna), é digno de enfrentar Droṇa? Quão terrível é, de fato, o dever do kṣatriya, a ponto de um discípulo ter de lutar contra o próprio mestre!” Assim, os guerreiros, postados na linha de frente do choque, falavam entre si—maravilhados com o poder incomparável de Droṇa e com o duro preço ético que a guerra impõe até mesmo a laços sagrados como o de guru e discípulo.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harshness of kṣatriya-dharma: war can compel even a disciple to oppose his own guru. It frames this not as personal hatred but as a grim consequence of duty and circumstance, inviting reflection on the ethical cost of martial obligation.
At the battlefront, the assembled warriors comment on Droṇa’s formidable prowess and conclude that only Arjuna (Phālguna) is truly capable of meeting him in combat. They simultaneously lament the dreadful situation in which the guru–disciple bond is strained by warfare.