Shloka 4
अभिमन्यु-परिवेष्टनम्
Encirclement and Counterassault of Abhimanyu
आचार्यो हि कृती द्रोण: परमास्त्रे कृतश्रम: । अत्यन्तसुखसंवृद्धस्त्वं चायुद्धविशारद:,'द्रोणाचार्य अस्त्रविद्याके विद्वान हैं और उत्तम अस्त्रोंके अभ्यासके लिये उन्होंने विशेष परिश्रम किया है। इधर आप अत्यन्त सुख एवं लाड़-प्यारमें पले हैं। युद्धकी कलामें आप उनके-जैसे विज्ञ नहीं हैं!
ācāryo hi kṛtī droṇaḥ paramāstre kṛtaśramaḥ | atyantasukhasaṃvṛddhas tvaṃ cāyuddhaviśāradaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “For Droṇa, the preceptor, is truly accomplished—he has labored hard in mastering the highest weapons. But you have been raised in extreme comfort and indulgence; you are not equally skilled in the art of war.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Competence—especially in dharmically weighty actions like war—rests on disciplined effort and training, not on privilege or comfort. The verse contrasts Droṇa’s hard-earned mastery with the addressee’s sheltered upbringing to underline that authority in battle must be grounded in proven skill.
Sañjaya, narrating events of the Kurukṣetra war, highlights Droṇa’s exceptional expertise in weaponry and rigorous practice, while diminishing the comparative war-readiness of the person being addressed, framing a realistic assessment of martial capability amid the unfolding conflict.