द्रोण उवाच
नाभ्यसूयामि ते वाचम् अश्वत्थाम्नासि मे समः ॥
सत्यं तु ते प्रवक्ष्यामि तज् जुषस्व विशां पते ॥
सारथिः प्रवरः कृष्णः शीघ्राश् चास्य हयोत्तमाः ॥
अल्पं च विवरं कृत्वा तूर्णं याति धनंजयः ॥
droṇa uvāca
nābhyasūyāmi te vācam aśvatthāmnāsi me samaḥ ||
satyaṃ tu te pravakṣyāmi taj juṣasva viśāṃ pate ||
sārathiḥ pravaraḥ kṛṣṇaḥ śīghrāś cāsya hayottamāḥ ||
alpaṃ ca vivaraṃ kṛtvā tūrṇaṃ yāti dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
[Drona:] "I am not angry at your words; you are equal to me as Ashvatthaman is. But I will tell you the truth — accept it, O lord of peoples: the charioteer of Arjuna is supreme — Krishna, and swift are his best horses; and, having made a small gap, Dhananjaya rides swiftly through."
ecde86a34d04 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:45:02 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Drona answers insult not with anger but with love: "na abhyasūyāmi... aśvatthāmnā asi me samaḥ", "I am not angry; you are equal to me as my son". The teacher's freedom from malice is a lesson greater than any word. And he names the true cause of the breakthrough: "sārathiḥ pravaraḥ kṛṣṇaḥ", "the charioteer is Krishna". It is telling that Drona attributes Arjuna's success to the Lord as charioteer. The verse teaches both gentleness and truthfulness: answer offense with love, and explain misfortune honestly; and the wise man acknowledges that it is not the warrior's strength that prevails but the presence of God — "sārathiḥ kṛṣṇaḥ", the Lord as charioteer, makes the breakthrough irresistible.