Shloka 17

उत्तरो भयविषण्णः — बृहन्नडेन धैर्योपदेशः

Uttara’s Panic and Bṛhannadā’s Stabilizing Counsel

Devanagari script

धनुष्यनवरश्नलासीत्‌ तस्य शिष्यो महात्मन: । दृष्टपूर्वो मया वीर चरन्त्या पाण्डवान्‌ प्रति,“वीर! यह उन्हीं महात्माका शिष्य है, अतः थर्नुर्विद्यामें भी उनसे कम नहीं है। पहले पाण्डवोंके यहाँ रहते समय मैंने इसे देखा है

Transliteration

dhanuṣyanavaraśnalāsīt tasya śiṣyo mahātmanaḥ | dṛṣṭapūrvo mayā vīra carantyā pāṇḍavān prati ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sagte: „O Held, er ist kundig im Anpassen und Führen des Bogens und seiner Riemen; er ist der Schüler jenes großherzigen Meisters. Ich habe ihn schon früher gesehen, o Krieger, als ich unter den Pāṇḍavas umherzog.“

Word by Word

धनुष्यbow

नवnew

रश्मिreins/strap (stringing/thong)

लासीत्had/possessed (was furnished with)

तस्यof him/of that

शिष्यःdisciple

महात्मनःof the great-souled one

दृष्टपूर्वःseen before/previously seen

मयाby me

वीरO hero

चरन्त्याwhile moving/when I was staying (lit. by me moving about)

पाण्डवान्the Pāṇḍavas

प्रतिtowards/with regard to

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pāṇḍavas

bow (dhanuḥ)

bow-strap/fastening (raśnā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the authority of disciplined learning: a warrior’s excellence is grounded in proper discipleship and recognized training, not mere claim—skill is validated by lineage and prior witness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana identifies a person as adept in bow-handling and as the disciple of a renowned master, adding that he has personally seen him earlier in connection with the Pāṇḍavas—establishing credibility and background.