Shloka 5
Śikhaṇḍinī’s Disclosure, Drupada’s Counsel, and the Petition to Yakṣa Sthūṇākarṇa
Udyoga Parva 192
केन कालेन गाड़्ेय क्षपयेथा महाद्युते । आचार्यो वा महेष्वास: कृपो वा सुमहाबल:
Sañjaya uvāca: kena kālena gāṅgeya kṣapayethā mahādyute | ācāryo vā maheṣvāsaḥ kṛpo vā sumahābalaḥ |
Sañjaya dijo: «Oh Gāṅgeya, resplandeciente de gran esplendor: ¿en qué lapso podrías llevar a la destrucción a todo este ejército? ¿Y en cuánto tiempo podrían el Maestro Droṇa, gran arquero, o Kripa, de fuerza inmensa, consumar el aniquilamiento del ejército enemigo?»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of martial superiority: those who possess exceptional power and knowledge are accountable for how swiftly and decisively they can cause mass destruction, implying the need for discernment and restraint even amid preparations for war.
Sañjaya addresses Bhīṣma (Gāṅgeya) and asks how long it would take him—and likewise Droṇa and Kṛpa—to destroy the opposing army, reflecting a strategic assessment of the leading warriors’ capacities as the conflict approaches.