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 ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Os Pāṇḍavas, vivendo em ocultação, devem ser procurados por muitos agentes — homens de habilidades variadas, totalmente empenhados na missão, versados em reconhecer os sinais de sua presa e eles próprios hábeis em operar sob disfarce. Que tais espiões, de grande perícia, os busquem por toda parte onde possam estar escondidos.”
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.