Shloka 23

धृतराष्ट्र–दुर्योधन संवादः

Vāraṇāvata-vivāsana-nīti: Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Duryodhana’s Policy Dialogue

Devanagari script

ततो<5थिजम्मु: सर्वे ते धनुर्वेदं महारथा: । धृतराष्ट्रात्मजाश्वैव पाण्डवा: सह यादवै:,धृतराष्ट्रके महारथी पुत्र, पाण्डव तथा यादव--सबने उन्हीं कृपाचार्यसे धनुर्वेदका अध्ययन किया

Transliteration

tato ’dhijagmuḥ sarve te dhanurvedaṁ mahārathāḥ | dhṛtarāṣṭrātmajāś caiva pāṇḍavāḥ saha yādavaiḥ ||

Translation

ఆపై ధృతరాష్ట్రుని కుమారులు, పాండవులు మరియు యాదవులతో కూడిన ఆ మహారథులందరూ ధనుర్వేదమును అభ్యసించి నిపుణులయ్యిరి.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

अधिजग्मुःapproached / went to (for learning)

सर्वेall

तेthey

धनुर्वेदम्the science of archery

महारथाःgreat chariot-warriors

धृतराष्ट्रात्मजाःsons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra

चand

एवindeed, also

पाण्डवाःthe Pāṇḍavas

सहtogether with

यादवैःwith the Yādavas

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Dhṛtarāṣṭrātmajāḥ (Kauravas)

Pāṇḍavāḥ (Pāṇḍavas)

Yādavāḥ (Yādavas)

Dhanurveda

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 kṣatriya ideal that martial knowledge (dhanurveda) is a disciplined science to be learned under proper guidance, and it implicitly points to the ethical tension that the same education can serve either protection of dharma or destructive rivalry, depending on character and intent.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana states that the principal royal youths—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons, the Pāṇḍavas, and the Yādavas—proceeded to study dhanurveda and became great warriors, setting the stage for later competitions and the eventual conflict.