Shloka 16
Ādi Parva 117 — Pāṇḍu’s Obsequies, Escort of the Pāṇḍavas, and Reception at Nāgasāhvaya
Hastināpura
सर्वे त्वतिरथा: शूरा: सर्वे युद्धविशारदा: । सर्वे वेदविदश्नैव सर्वे सर्वास्त्रकोविदा:,ये सभी अतिरथी शूरवीर थे। सबने युद्धविद्यामें निपुणता प्राप्त कर ली थी। सब-के- सब वेदोंके विद्वान् तथा सम्पूर्ण अस्त्रविद्याके मर्मज्ञ थे
sarve tv atirathāḥ śūrāḥ sarve yuddhaviśāradāḥ | sarve vedavidaś caiva sarve sarvāstrakovidāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “All of them were atirathas—mighty champions—and all were valiant. Every one of them was skilled in the science of war; every one was a knower of the Vedas; and every one was proficient in the full range of weapons.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights comprehensive excellence—heroism, tactical expertise, Vedic learning, and weapon-mastery—while implicitly reminding that such capacities intensify moral responsibility: the more capable and learned one is, the more consequential one’s choices in conflict become.
Vaiśampāyana is describing a group of warriors (contextually, those being spoken of in this section) as uniformly elite: all are great champions, trained in warfare, learned in the Vedas, and adept with every kind of weapon.