Shloka 17
धृतराष्ट्रस्य बलाबलचिन्ता
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Strength and Preference for Śama
यमाह भीष्मो द्रोणश्न कृपो द्रौणिस्तथैव च । मद्रराजस्तथा शल्यो मध्यस्था ये च मानवा:
yam āha bhīṣmo droṇaś ca kṛpo drauṇis tathaiva ca | madrarājas tathā śalyo madhyasthā ye ca mānavāḥ ||
વૈશંપાયન બોલ્યા—જેનાં વિષે ભીષ્મ, દ્રોણ, કૃપ, દ્રોણપુત્ર (અશ્વત્થામા), મદ્રરાજ શલ્ય તથા તટસ્થ મનુષ્યો પણ—આ જ કહે છે.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective testimony from authoritative warriors and even neutrals establishes a warrior’s moral and martial stature; reputation here functions as a social-ethical judgment about capability and the likely outcome of adharma-driven conflict.
In Udyoga Parva’s war-preparation context, Vaiśaṃpāyana reports that leading Kuru-side elders and others acknowledge Arjuna’s overwhelming prowess, implying that confronting him in battle is beyond ordinary human capacity.