Shloka 71
आचार्यो वृष्णिवीराणां कौरवाणां च यो द्विज: । सर्वक्षत्रस्य चाचार्य: सर्वशस्त्रभूृतां वर: । तेन द्रोणेन ते तात कथमासीत् समागम:
ācāryo vṛṣṇivīrāṇāṃ kauravāṇāṃ ca yo dvijaḥ | sarvakṣatrasya cācāryaḥ sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ | tena droṇena te tāta katham āsīt samāgamaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “That Brahmin Droṇa—preceptor of the Vṛṣṇi heroes and of the Kauravas, teacher of all the kṣatriya houses, and foremost among all who bear weapons—how, dear one, did your meeting with him come about?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of the guru’s role in kṣatriya society: a single preceptor can shape the conduct and capabilities of many royal lineages. By highlighting Droṇa as ‘foremost among weapon-bearers’ and teacher to multiple clans, it frames martial skill as something transmitted through disciplined instruction, carrying responsibility beyond any one faction.
Vaiśampāyana pauses to identify Droṇa with honorific epithets and then asks how the addressed person’s encounter/meeting with Droṇa occurred. The question functions as a narrative bridge, inviting an account of the circumstances that led to contact with this renowned teacher.