Shloka 11
Droṇācārya’s Assessment of the Pāṇḍavas: Nīti, Kāla, and Intelligence (विराटपर्व, अध्याय २६)
विविधैस्तत्परै: सम्यक् तज्जै्निपुणसंवृतै: । अन्वेष्टव्या: सुनिपुणै: पाण्डवाश्छन्नचवासिन:
vaividhyais tatparaiḥ samyak tajjñānipuṇa-saṃvṛtaiḥ | anveṣṭavyāḥ sunipuṇaiḥ pāṇḍavāś channacāvasinaḥ ||
ಮರೆವಾಸದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಪಾಂಡವರನ್ನು ಅನೇಕ ಗುಪ್ತಚರರು ಹುಡುಕಲಿ—ವಿವಿಧ ಕೌಶಲ್ಯಗಳಿಂದ ಯುಕ್ತರು, ಕಾರ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ತತ್ಪರರು, ಅವರ ಲಕ್ಷಣಗಳನ್ನು ಗುರುತಿಸುವಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಪುಣರು, ಮತ್ತು ತಾವೂ ಗುಪ್ತವಾಗಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುವಲ್ಲಿ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ದಕ್ಷರು.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights statecraft: when pursuing a sensitive objective, a ruler relies on disciplined, competent agents who understand both identification and concealment. Ethically, it underscores responsibility in governance—competence and discretion are essential tools, though their use must remain aligned with dharma.
In the Virāṭa episode, the Pāṇḍavas are living incognito during their final year of exile. The narration describes the decision to deploy numerous highly skilled spies to locate them, assuming they are hidden and moving carefully.