Shloka 27
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
अस्त्रं चतुर्विधं वेद यथैव त्रिदशेश्वर: । भार्गवो वा महावीर्यस्तथा द्रोणो5पि माधव,माधव! जैसे देवराज इन्द्र अथवा महापराक्रमी परशुरामजी चार प्रकारकी अस्त्रविद्याको जानते हैं, उसी प्रकार द्रोणाचार्य भी जानते थे
astraṃ caturvidhaṃ veda yathaiva tridaśeśvaraḥ | bhārgavo vā mahāvīryas tathā droṇo 'pi mādhava ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Mādhava, sebagaimana Indra, penguasa para dewa, mengetahui ilmu senjata yang empat macam—atau sebagaimana Bhārgava yang perkasa (Paraśurāma) mengetahuinya—demikian pula Droṇācārya mengetahuinya.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary skill and power—here, mastery of the fourfold weapon-science—does not automatically serve dharma; its ethical value depends on intention, restraint, and the ends for which it is used. The verse implicitly contrasts divine-level competence with the tragic human outcomes of war.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating to Janamejaya, highlights Droṇa’s exceptional expertise by comparing him to Indra and Paraśurāma. In the Strī Parva context, such recollections intensify the sense of loss: even the greatest masters of arms became instruments within a catastrophic conflict.