Shloka 14
Śalya’s Consecration as Senāpati and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira (शल्यस्य सेनापत्यभिषेकः)
दशाड़ूं यश्चतुष्पादमिष्वस्त्रं वेद तत्त्वतः | साज़ांस्तु चतुरो वेदान् सम्यगाख्यानपञठ्चमान्
daśāḍūṁ yaś catuṣpādam iṣv-astraṁ veda tattvataḥ | sāzāṁs tu caturo vedān samyag ākhyāna-pañcamān |
Sañjaya said: “He who truly understands the ‘tenfold’ and the ‘four-footed’ science of archery is, in effect, one who has rightly mastered the four Vedas together with the Itihāsa–Ākhyāna tradition as the fifth. Such complete knowledge is invoked here to gauge the depth of a warrior’s training and discernment amid the moral pressure of war.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse equates complete mastery of a technical discipline (here, missile-weapon/archery science described as ‘tenfold’ and ‘four-part’) with the breadth and rigor of mastering the Vedas plus the narrative tradition. It highlights that true expertise is not superficial skill but systematic, principled understanding—an ethical measure of competence in a war setting.
Sañjaya is characterizing the depth of a warrior’s knowledge and training during the events of the Śalya Parva. By invoking Vedic mastery as a benchmark, he underscores the exceptional stature of the person being described and frames martial prowess within a wider cultural-ethical ideal of disciplined learning.