सो ऽहं क्षत्रबलाद् धीनो ब्रह्मतेजः प्रपेदिवान् ॥
द्रोणाद् विशिष्टम् आसाद्य भवन्तं ब्रह्मवित्तमम् ॥
द्रोणान्तकम् अहं पुत्रं लभेयं युधि दुर्जयम् ॥
तत् कर्म कुरु मे याज निर्वपाम्य् अर्बुदं गवाम् ॥
so 'haṃ kṣatrabalād dhīno brahmatejaḥ prapedivān ||
droṇād viśiṣṭam āsādya bhavantaṃ brahmavittamam ||
droṇāntakam ahaṃ putraṃ labheyaṃ yudhi durjayam ||
tat karma kuru me yāja nirvapāmy arbudaṃ gavām ||
"So I, lacking kshatriya strength, have taken refuge in brahmanic power, having found you, who surpass Drona, the best knower of Brahman. May I obtain a son, the destroyer of Drona, unconquerable in battle; perform that deed for me, O Yaja, and I will bestow a hundred million cows."
85532ea93977 · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:19:51 PM UTC
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Here Drupada turns spiritual power against spiritual power. Telling is his calculation: to strike down the brahman-warrior Drona requires the might of a still higher brahmanical rite; fire is quenched with a stronger fire. Here it is seen that even the sacred can be turned into an instrument of strife: austerity and sacrifice, good in themselves, are here besought for the sake of murder. Telling too is that the son sought is conceived as "Drona's destroyer" even before birth — a child begotten as a weapon. Thus the scripture shows that enmity drives a man to put even sacred things to evil use; and the rite meant to bring forth life is invoked by Drupada to bring forth an instrument of death.