Shloka 24
कालविभाग-निरूपणं तथा युद्धव्यवस्था
Time-Reckoning and Mobilization Counsel
इष्टा हि पाण्डवा नित्यमाचार्यस्य विशेषत: । आसयतन्नपरार्थाशक्ष कथ्यते सम स्वयं तथा,“आचार्यको सदासे ही पाण्डव अधिक प्रिय रहे हैं। उन स्वार्थियोंने अपना काम बनानेके लिये ही द्रोणाचार्यको आपके पास रख छोड़ा है। ये स्वयं भी ऐसी बातें कहते हैं, जिससे हमारे कथनकी पुष्टि होती है
iṣṭā hi pāṇḍavā nityam ācāryasya viśeṣataḥ | āsayatān na parārthāś ca kathyate samaṃ svayaṃ tathā ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Die Pāṇḍavas waren dem Lehrer stets lieb — in besonderem Maße. Jene eigennützigen Männer hielten Droṇācārya nur zu ihren eigenen Zwecken in deiner Nähe. Sie selbst reden zudem so, dass es bestätigt, was wir sagen.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical critique of self-serving politics: influential figures may be retained or positioned not for the common good but to advance private interests. It also underscores the moral weight of a teacher’s genuine affection and fairness, contrasting it with opportunistic manipulation by others.
Vaiśampāyana comments that Droṇa’s longstanding fondness for the Pāṇḍavas is well known. He suggests that certain self-interested people kept Droṇa close to the addressee (implicitly a ruler/party at court) for their own advantage, and that their own statements inadvertently corroborate this assessment.