Shloka 16
Droṇācārya’s Assessment of the Pāṇḍavas: Nīti, Kāla, and Intelligence (विराटपर्व, अध्याय २६)
एते चान्ये च भूयांसो देशाद् देशं यथाविधि । नतु तेषां गतिर्वासः प्रवृत्तिश्नोपलभ्यते
ete cānye ca bhūyāṃso deśād deśaṃ yathāvidhi | na tu teṣāṃ gatir vāsaḥ pravṛttiś copalabhyate ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Que ceux-ci et bien d’autres hommes encore cherchent, allant de contrée en contrée selon la règle. Pourtant, jusqu’à présent, on ne trouve aucune trace de la destination des Pāṇḍavas, de leur lieu de séjour, ni le moindre signe de leurs activités.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and practical limits of power: even organized, rule-bound efforts may fail when the sought persons act with discipline and secrecy. It underscores prudence (nīti) and self-restraint—searching should be done “yathāvidhi,” yet one must accept uncertainty when evidence is absent.
The narrator reports that agents have been (and should continue) searching across many regions, but they still cannot discover where the Pāṇḍavas have gone, where they are living, or what they are doing—indicating the Pāṇḍavas’ successful concealment during their incognito period.