Shloka 466
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
विक्रमे चाप्यपर्याप्ता: पाण्डवान् प्रति भारत । “भरतनन्दन! ये तुम्हें ज्ञान, धर्म और अर्थकी प्राप्ति करानेमें समर्थ नहीं हैं और पाण्डवोंके सामने पराक्रम प्रकट करनेमें भी ये असमर्थ ही हैं
vaśiṣṭha uvāca
vikrame cāpy aparyāptāḥ pāṇḍavān prati bhārata |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Bhārata, they cannot secure for you knowledge, dharma, and artha; and when set against the Pāṇḍavas, they are inadequate even in valor.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Competence is not merely martial: those who cannot secure jñāna (right understanding), dharma (righteous order), and artha (stable welfare) are also unlikely to prevail in confrontation against a dharma-backed, capable opponent like the Pāṇḍavas.
In the lead-up to war (Udyoga Parva), the narrator frames an evaluation of parties: the speaker notes that certain figures are ‘insufficient’ even in valor when compared with the Pāṇḍavas, reinforcing the political and ethical tension before the conflict.