प्रतिजग्राह तं भीष्मो गुरुं पाण्डुसुतैः सह ॥
पौत्रान् आदाय तान् सर्वान् वसूनि विविधानि च ॥
शिष्या इति ददौ राजन् द्रोणाय विधिपूर्वकम् ॥
स च शिष्यान् महेष्वासः प्रतिजग्राह कौरवान् ॥
प्रतिगृह्य च तान् सर्वान् द्रोणो वचनम् अब्रवीत् ॥
रहस्य् एकः प्रतीतात्मा कृतोपसदनांस् तदा ॥
कार्यं मे काङ्क्षितं किं चिद् धृदि संपरिवर्तते ॥
कृतास्त्रैस् तत् प्रदेयं मे तद् ऋतं वदतानघाः ॥
तच् छ्रुत्वा कौरवेयास् ते तूष्णीम् आसन् विशां पते ॥
अर्जुनस् तु ततः सर्वं प्रतिजज्ञे परंतपः ॥
pratijagrāha taṃ bhīṣmo guruṃ pāṇḍusutaiḥ saha ||
pautrān ādāya tān sarvān vasūni vividhāni ca ||
śiṣyā iti dadau rājan droṇāya vidhipūrvakam ||
sa ca śiṣyān maheṣvāsaḥ pratijagrāha kauravān ||
pratigṛhya ca tān sarvān droṇo vacanam abravīt ||
rahasy ekaḥ pratītātmā kṛtopasadanāṃs tadā ||
kāryaṃ me kāṅkṣitaṃ kiṃ cid dhṛdi saṃparivartate ||
kṛtāstrais tat pradeyaṃ me tad ṛtaṃ vadatānaghāḥ ||
tac chrutvā kauraveyās te tūṣṇīm āsan viśāṃ pate ||
arjunas tu tataḥ sarvaṃ pratijajñe paraṃtapaḥ ||
'Bhishma accepted that Drona as teacher, together with the sons of Pandu; taking all those grandsons and various riches, he gave them to Drona according to due rite, saying, "here are disciples," O king. And that great archer accepted the Kauravas as disciples; and, having accepted them all, Drona, alone with them and confident in himself, said to those who had come to him: "A certain desired task turns over in my heart; once you have mastered weapons, you must give it to me; speak truthfully your consent, O blameless ones." Hearing this, the Kauravas remained silent, O lord of the people; but Arjuna then promised everything.'
09a535ecec42 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:53:32 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here the sacred bond of guru and disciples takes shape -- and in it the future favorite is already discernible. Telling is the silence of the Kauravas against Arjuna's assent: asked for a future dakshina without knowing what it will be, Arjuna alone answers with an unconditional 'yes.' Here is the heart of discipleship: devotion to the guru without reservation or conditions. The Kauravas are cautious and calculating -- and therefore will not become his true disciples in heart; Arjuna surrenders himself to his teacher completely -- and therefore will become the best. It is telling that this unreserved devotion to the guru is the same devotion with which Arjuna will later surrender himself to Krishna as a disciple in the Gita. Thus the scripture reveals the law of spiritual ascent: whoever surrenders himself unconditionally to a worthy teacher receives everything from him; the disciple's faith and devotion open to him the treasury of knowledge.