Shloka 5

पाण्डवपरिचयः—विराटसभायां प्रकाशनम्

Identification of the Pāṇḍavas in Virāṭa’s Court

Devanagari script

द्रोण: कृपश्चैव विविंशतिश्न दुःशासनश्वैव विवृत्य शीघ्रम्‌ सर्वे पुरस्ताद्‌ विततोरुचापा दुर्योधनार्थ त्वरिता<5भ्युपेयु:,तत्पश्चात्‌ द्रोण, कृपाचार्य, विविंशति और दुःशासन भी शीघ्र ही घूमकर आ गये। वे सब अपने विशाल धनुषको ताने हुए पूर्व या सामनेकी ओरसे दुर्योधनकी रक्षाके लिये बड़ी उतावलीके साथ आये थे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | droṇaḥ kṛpaś caiva viviṁśatiś ca duḥśāsanaś caiva vivṛtya śīghram | sarve purastād vitatorucāpā duryodhanārthaṁ tvaritābhyupeyuḥ ||5||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Drona and Kripa, along with Viviṁśati and Duḥśāsana, quickly wheeled about. All of them, their great bows drawn, hurried forward to the front in order to protect Duryodhana—eager and intent on shielding their leader in the press of danger.

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'droṇaḥ': 'Droṇa (the preceptor, master of arms)', 'kṛpaḥ (kṛpācāryaḥ)': 'Kṛpa (the royal teacher, famed archer)', 'viviṁśatiḥ': 'Viviṁśati (a Kaurava prince, brother of Duryodhana)', 'duḥśāsanaḥ': 'Duḥśāsana (Kaurava prince, brother of Duryodhana)', 'caiva': 'and indeed

• and also', 'vivṛtya': 'turning around

• wheeling about', 'śīghram': 'quickly', 'sarve': 'all (of them)', 'purastāt': 'in front

• to the fore', 'vitata-uru-cāpāḥ': 'with large bows stretched/drawn (lit. ‘broad/long bows extended’)', 'duryodhanārtham': 'for Duryodhana’s sake

• to protect Duryodhana', 'tvaritāḥ': 'hastened

• in great urgency', 'abhyupeyuḥ': 'they approached

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Droṇa
• Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya)
• Viviṁśati
• Duḥśāsana
• Duryodhana
• bows (cāpa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the power of allegiance and martial duty: skilled elders and princes act swiftly to protect their commander. Ethically, it also points to a recurring Mahābhārata tension—competence and loyalty can be deployed in service of a questionable cause, raising the question of whether duty to a person should yield to duty to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the midst of the Virāṭa Parva conflict, Droṇa, Kṛpa, Viviṁśati, and Duḥśāsana quickly turn back and rush to the front with bows drawn, positioning themselves as a protective screen for Duryodhana.