Shloka 42

धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa

Devanagari script

रक्षितारस्तत: शून्ये कच्चित्‌ तैर्न हतः परै: । किन वीरोंने युद्धमें द्रोणाचार्यको उत्तम धैर्य प्रदान किया? उनकी रक्षा करनेवाले मूर्ख क्षत्रियोंने भयभीत होकर युद्धस्थलमें उन्हें अकेला तो नहीं छोड़ दिया? और इस प्रकार शत्रुओंने सूनेमें तो उन्हें नहीं मार डाला? ।।

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | rakṣitārastataḥ śūnye kaccit tair na hataḥ paraiḥ | na sa pṛṣṭham arestrāsād raṇe śauryāt pradarśayet |

Translation

持国王说道：“当护卫不在身旁、他被置于空旷无援之境时，德罗那阿阇梨难道没有被敌人击倒吗？战斗中，哪些英雄给予德罗那最高的沉着与勇毅？还是那些奉命护卫他的愚昧刹帝利被恐惧攫住，在战场上弃他而去，以致仇敌趁他孤立之时将他杀害？并且，战士决不可因惧敌而在战阵中背转身去，而当显其英勇。”

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पृष्ठम्: back (his back)
• पृष्ठम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृष्ठ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अरेः: of the enemy
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• त्रासात्: from fear / due to fear
• त्रासात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रास
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• शौर्यात्: from valor / out of bravery
• शौर्यात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शौर्य
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• प्रदर्शयेत्: should show / would display
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+दृश्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Droṇācārya (Droṇa)
• enemy forces (parāḥ)
• kṣatriya guards/protectors (rakṣitāraḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage underscores kṣatriya-dharma: fear must not lead a warrior to abandon his duty or turn his back in battle; protection of a commander is a moral and strategic obligation, and cowardly desertion is condemned.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra anxiously inquires about Droṇa’s safety and the conduct of those assigned to guard him—wondering whether they fled in fear and left him isolated, enabling the enemy to kill him, while also invoking the ideal that a warrior should not retreat out of fear.