Mahabharata 7.149.17 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 149, Shloka 17
अलंबलवधः (Alaṃbala-vadhaḥ) / The Slaying of Alaṃbala and the Advance toward Karṇa
को हि ब्राह्मणमाचार्यमभिद्रुह्देत मादृश: । ऋषिपुत्रो ममाचार्यो द्रोणस्थ परम: सखा
sañjaya uvāca | ko hi brāhmaṇam ācāryam abhidruhyeta mādṛśaḥ | ṛṣiputro mamācāryo droṇastha paramaḥ sakhā ||
مجھ جیسا شخص کسی برہمن آچاریہ سے کیسے دغا کرے؟ رِشی پُتر درون ہی میرے آچاریہ ہیں—اور وہی میرے سب سے بڑے دوست بھی ہیں۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical restraint against harming or betraying one’s ācārya, especially a Brahmin teacher. It presents loyalty to the guru and reverence for learning and spiritual lineage (ṛṣiputra) as a moral boundary that should not be crossed even amid the pressures of war.
Sañjaya speaks in self-justification, asserting that someone like him would not act treacherously toward Droṇa. He emphasizes Droṇa’s status as a Brahmin preceptor and seer’s son, and also as his intimate friend, to underline why betrayal would be unthinkable.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.