FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.44

సరహస్యో ధనుర్వేద: సవిసర్గోపసంయమ: । అస్త్రగ్రామశ్చ భవతా శిక్షితో యదనుగ్రహాత్ ॥ ౪౪ ॥
sarahasyo dhanur-vedaḥ
[sarahasyo dhanur-vedah]
savisargopasaṁyamaḥ
[savisargopasamyamah]
astra-grāmaś ca bhavatā
[astra-graamash cha bhavataa]
śikṣito yad-anugrahāt
[shikshito yad-anugrahaat]
sa-rahasyaḥ — confidential dhanuḥ-vedaḥ — knowledge in the art of manipulating bows and arrows sa-visarga — releasing upasaṁyamaḥ — controlling astra — weapons grāmaḥ — all kinds of ca — and bhavatā — by yourself śikṣitaḥ — learned yat — by whose anugrahāt — mercy of.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sarahasyo dhanur-vedaḥ
sa-rahasyaḥ
confidential
dhanuḥ-vedaḥ
knowledge in the art of manipulating bows and arrows
savisargopasaṁyamaḥ
sa-visarga
releasing
upasaṁyamaḥ
controlling
astra
weapons
astra-grāmaś ca bhavatā
grāmaḥ
all kinds of
ca
and
bhavatā
by yourself
śikṣito yad-anugrahāt
śikṣitaḥ
learned
yat
by whose
anugrahāt
mercy of.
It was by Droṇācārya’s mercy that you learned the military art of throwing arrows and the confidential art of controlling weapons.

Dhanur-veda, or military science, was taught by Droṇācārya with all its confidential secrets of throwing and controlling by Vedic hymns. Gross military science is dependent on material weapons, but finer than that is the art of throwing the arrows saturated with Vedic hymns, which act more effectively than gross material weapons like machine guns or atomic bombs. The control is by Vedic mantras, or the transcendental science of sound. It is said in the Rāmāyaṇa that Mahārāja Daśaratha, the father of Lord Śrī Rāma, used to control arrows by sound only. He could pierce his target with his arrow by only hearing the sound, without seeing the object. So this is a finer military science than that of the gross material military weapons used nowadays. Arjuna was taught all this, and therefore Draupadī wished that Arjuna feel obliged to Ācārya Droṇa for all these benefits. And in the absence of Droṇācārya, his son was his representative. That was the opinion of the good lady Draupadī. It may be argued why Droṇācārya, a rigid brāhmaṇa, should be a teacher in military science. But the reply is that a brāhmaṇa should become a teacher, regardless of what his department of knowledge is. A learned brāhmaṇa should become a teacher, a priest and a recipient of charity. A bona fide brāhmaṇa is authorized to accept such professions.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
By the mercy of Droṇa you learned the military arts with secret mantras, the method of throwing and withdrawing all weapons. Droṇa is standing before you in the form of his son. The other half of Droṇa, his wife Kṛpī, did not follow her husband when he died, but remains alive, because she has a son.
Commentary

Sa-rahasyaḥ means “with secret mantras.” In mentioning that the father taught how to throw and withdraw the weapon, she implies “If you had not learned how to throw and withdraw the brahmāstra from his father, how could you now bind him up and bring him here?” The son is considered a representative of the father according to the saying ātmā vai jāyate putraḥ: one is born again as one’s son. [Note: This is quoted in CC. Madhya-līlā, 12.56. There is a similar text in SB 10.78.36.] The wife is considered half of the husband according to the śruti text ardho vā eśa ātmano yat-patnī: the wife is half of oneself. (Black Yajur-veda, Baudhāyana-śrauta-sūtra 29.89.381.2) She did not follow her husband to death because she had a son (vīra-sūḥ).

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