SB 1.7.44 (1964)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 44
Sarahasyo dhanurvedah savisargo upasamyamah Astra gramas cha bhavata sikshito yat anugrahat.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Sarahasyah—confidential, Dhanurveda—knowledge in the art of manipulating bow and arrows, Visarga—releasing, Upasamyamah—controlling, Astra—weapons, Grams—all kinds of, Cha—and, Bhavata—by yourself, Sikshito—learnt, Yat—by whose, Anugrahat—mercy of.
TRANSLATION
One (Dronacharya) by whose mercy the military art of throwing arrows along with its confidential art of controlling etc. were learnt by you.
PURPORT
Dhanurveda or the military science were taught by Dronacharya with all its confidential parts of throwing and controlling by Vedic hymns. Gross military science is dependant on material weapons but finer than that is the art of throwing the arrows saturated with Vedic hymns which act more effectively than the gross material weapons like machine guns or atomic bombs. The control is made by Vedic mantras or transcendental science of sound. It is learnt from the scriptures like Ramayana that Moharaj Dasarath the father of Lord Sri Rama used to control an arrow by sound only. He could pierce His arrow even by hearing the sound only without seeing the object. So this is a finer military science than the gross material military weapons used nowadays. Arjuna was taught all these confidential parts of the military science and, therefore, Droupadi wished that Arjuna should feel obliged to Acharya Drona for all these benefits. And in the absence of Dronacharya his son is the representative. That was the opinion of the good lady Droupadi. It may be argued why Dronacharya a rigid Brahmin should be a teacher in military science. But the reply is that a Brahmin shall become teacher never mind what the department of knowledge is. A learned Brahmin shall become a teacher, a priest and the recipient of charity. A bonafide Brahmin is authorised to accept such profession.