Shloka 44
“आचार्य द्रोण पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनसे बढ़कर हैं और पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुन भी आचार्य द्रोणसे बढ़कर हैं। इन दोनोंमें कितना अन्तर है, इसे दूसरा कोई नहीं देख सकता ।। यदि रुद्रो द्विधाकृत्य युध्येतात्मानमात्मना । तत्र शक््योपमा कर्तुमन्यत्र तु न विद्यते,“यदि भगवान् शंकर अपने दो रूप बनाकर स्वयं ही अपने साथ युद्ध करें तो उसी युद्धसे इनकी उपमा दी जा सकती है और कहीं इन दोनोंकी समता नहीं है
sañjaya uvāca |
ācārya-droṇa-pāṇḍuputra-arjunebhyo 'dhikāḥ, pāṇḍuputro 'rjuno 'pi ācārya-droṇād adhikaḥ | etayoḥ kīdṛśo 'ntaraḥ, tad anyaḥ kaścid draṣṭuṃ na śaknoti ||
yadi rudro dvidhākṛtya yudhyet ātmānam ātmanā |
tatra śakyopamā kartuṃ anyatra tu na vidyate ||
Sañjaya said: “Droṇa, the preceptor, surpasses Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu; and yet Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu, surpasses Droṇa. No one else can truly discern what the difference between these two is. If Rudra (Śiva) were to divide himself into two forms and fight against himself, only that combat could serve as a comparison; elsewhere no equal likeness for these two exists.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the near-incomparable excellence of both master (Droṇa) and disciple (Arjuna), suggesting that true evaluation of greatness can be subtle and that extraordinary skill may defy ordinary comparison—an epic way of honoring martial prowess within kṣatriya dharma.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra an assessment of the battlefield’s foremost warriors, emphasizing that Droṇa and Arjuna are so evenly matched in greatness that only a cosmic image—Śiva split into two battling himself—can approximate their rivalry.