Shloka 19

Ādi-parva 109: Pāṇḍu’s Forest Hunt and Kiṃdama’s Curse (पाण्डोर्मृगयावृत्तान्तः—किंदमशापः)

Devanagari script

धनुर्वेदे5श्वपृष्ठे च गदायुद्धेडसिचर्मणि । तथैव गजशिक्षायां नीतिशास्त्रेषु पारगा:,धनुर्वेद, घोड़ेकी सवारी, गदायुद्ध, ढाल-तलवारके प्रयोग, गजशिक्षा तथा नीतिशास्त्रमें वे तीनों भाई पारंगत हो गये

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: dhanurvede ’śvapṛṣṭhe ca gadāyuddhe ’sicarmaṇi | tathaiva gajaśikṣāyāṃ nītiśāstreṣu pāragāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Les trois frères devinrent pleinement accomplis dans la science de l’arc (Dhanurveda), dans l’art de monter à cheval, dans le combat à la massue, dans l’usage de l’épée et du bouclier ; et de même dans le dressage des éléphants et dans les traités de nīti, l’art de gouverner et de bien se conduire.

Word by Word

धनुर्वेदेin archery/science of the bow

अश्वपृष्ठेon horseback (lit. on the horse’s back)

चand

गदायुद्धेin mace-fighting

असिचर्मणिin sword-and-shield (use)

तथाlikewise

एवindeed/just

गजशिक्षायाम्in elephant-training

नीतिशास्त्रेषुin treatises on polity/ethics

पारगाःfully proficient/versed

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

the three brothers (unnamed in this verse)

dhanurveda

horseback riding

mace

sword

shield

elephants

nītiśāstra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True preparedness for rulership is holistic: mastery of arms and battlefield skills must be paired with nīti—ethical and practical wisdom for governance—so power is guided by disciplined judgment.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator reports that the three brothers have completed advanced training across multiple military disciplines (archery, mounted combat, mace, sword-and-shield) and also in elephant-handling and political-ethical treatises, marking their readiness for public and royal responsibilities.