Shloka 16

Devanagari script

आचार्य केन कालेन पाण्डुपुत्रस्य सैनिकान्‌ | निहन्या इति तं द्रोण: प्रत्युवाच हसन्निव,संजय बोले--राजेन्द्र! भीष्मका यह वचन सुनकर राजा दुर्योधनने आंगिरस ब्राह्मणोंमें सबसे श्रेष्ठ द्रोणाचार्यससे पूछा--“आचार्य/ आप कितने समयमें पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरके सैनिकोंका संहार कर सकते हैं?” यह प्रश्न सुनकर द्रोणाचार्य हँसते हुए-से बोले --

Transliteration

ācārya kena kālena pāṇḍuputrasya sainikān | nihanyā iti taṃ droṇaḥ pratyuvāca hasann iva ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: «Дурьодхана спросил Дрону: “Учитель, за какое время ты смог бы перебить воинов сына Панду?” Услышав это, Дрона ответил, словно улыбаясь.»

Word by Word

आचार्यO teacher

केनby what (means/measure)

कालेनby (how much) time; in what time

पाण्डुपुत्रस्यof the son of Pाण्डु (i.e., of the Pandava)

सैनिकान्soldiers

निहन्याःwould you slay / could you kill

इतिthus

तम्him

द्रोणःDrona

प्रत्युवाचreplied

हसन्laughing

इवas if

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Duryodhana

Drona (Dronacharya)

Bhishma

Pandu

Yudhishthira

Pandavas (implied by pāṇḍuputra)

Angirasa Brahmins (Āṅgirasa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral tension of war-counsel: a ruler’s impatience for victory reduces human lives to a timetable, while the teacher’s smile suggests awareness of the ethical weight and the limits of mere martial calculation within dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Bhishma’s statement, Duryodhana turns to Drona and asks how quickly he could annihilate the Pandava forces (especially those of Yudhishthira). Drona responds, ‘as if smiling,’ setting up his forthcoming answer about capability, conditions, and the realities of the coming conflict.