Shloka 7
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 25: Kaurava Deliberation and the Search Directive (अन्वेषण-आदेशः)
तत्र दृष्टवा तु राजानं कौरव्यं धृतराष्ट्रजम् द्रोणकर्णकृपै: सार्थ भीष्मेण च महात्मना,वहाँ वे धृतराष्ट्रपुत्र कुरुनन्दन दुर्योधनसे मिले, जो द्रोण, कर्ण, कृपाचार्य, महात्मा भीष्म, अपने सम्पूर्ण भाई तथा महारथी त्रिगर्तोके साथ राजसभामें बैठा था। उससे मिलकर उन गुप्तचरोंने यों कहा
tatra dṛṣṭvā tu rājānaṃ kauravyaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrajam | droṇa-karṇa-kṛpaiḥ sārthaṃ bhīṣmeṇa ca mahātmanā ||
Di sana mereka melihat raja Kaurava, putera Dhṛtarāṣṭra—Duryodhana—duduk dalam balairung bersama Droṇa, Karṇa, Kṛpa dan Bhīṣma yang berhati besar. Setelah bertemu baginda, para agen rahsia itu pun menyampaikan laporan mereka.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how power operates through counsel and intelligence: rulers sit amid senior warriors and advisers, and information (brought by agents) becomes a decisive instrument. Ethically, it points to the responsibility of leadership to use knowledge and counsel in alignment with dharma rather than mere ambition.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the spies/agents arrive and see Duryodhana in the royal assembly with Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, and Kṛpa. After meeting him, they begin delivering their report, setting up the next developments in the Virāṭa episode.