Shloka 24
आचार्य-क्षमा, देśa–kāla-नīti, तथा भेद-दोषः
Teacher-Reconciliation, Timing-Policy, and the Fault of Factionalism
द्रोण उवाच यथा रथस्य निर्घोषो यथा मेघ उदीर्यते । कम्पते च यथा भूमिर्नैषोडन्य: सव्यसाचिन:,(यह शंख-ध्वनि सुनकर कौरवसेनामें) द्रोणाचार्यने कहा--जैसी यह रथकी घर्घराहट सुनायी दे रही है, जिस तरह उससे मेघगर्जनाका-सा शब्द हो रहा है और उसीके कारण जिस प्रकार यह पृथ्वी काँपने लगी है, इनसे यह सूचित होता है कि यह आनेवाला योद्धा अर्जुनके सिवा दूसरा कोई नहीं है
droṇa uvāca | yathā rathasya nirghoṣo yathā megha udīryate | kampate ca yathā bhūmir naiṣo 'nyaḥ savyasācinaḥ ||
Droṇa said: “From the thunderous rumble of this chariot, from the cloud-like roar that rises with it, and from the way the earth itself trembles, it is clear that this approaching warrior can be none other than Arjuna, the ambidextrous master of the bow.”
द्रोण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment and the recognition of true capability: extraordinary signs (sound, vibration, presence) reveal an extraordinary agent. It also underscores the epic’s warrior-ethic—great skill carries an unmistakable ‘signature’ that even opponents acknowledge.
Hearing the overwhelming rumble and roar associated with an approaching chariot and sensing the ground tremble, Droṇa concludes that the warrior arriving must be Arjuna, famed as Savyasācin, and not anyone else.