Shloka 157
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
एवमेतत् पुरावृत्तं तदा कथितवानृषि: । भार्गवो5पि ददौ दिव्यं धनुर्वेदं महात्मने
evam etat purāvṛttaṃ tadā kathitavān ṛṣiḥ | bhārgavo 'pi dadau divyaṃ dhanurvedaṃ mahātmane ||
Duryodhana said: “So indeed it happened in the past, as the sage then recounted. And Bhārgava too bestowed upon that great-souled one the divine science of archery—an extraordinary martial knowledge that can elevate a warrior, yet also tests how power will be used in the moral crucible of war.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the transmission of potent knowledge (Dhanurveda) through revered teachers and ancient testimony, implying an ethical burden: divine skill is not merely power to win, but a responsibility that reveals a warrior’s character in war.
Duryodhana refers to an earlier, well-known account narrated by a sage, and adds that Bhārgava (Paraśurāma) also granted the ‘divine’ Dhanurveda to a great-souled recipient—contextually pointing to the lineage of martial instruction behind formidable warriors.