Shloka 29
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
गदायुद्धे$सिचर्यायां तोमरप्रासशक्तिषु । द्रोण: संकीर्णयुद्धे च शिक्षयामास कौरवान्
gadāyuddhe 'sicaryāyāṃ tomaraprāsaśaktiṣu | droṇaḥ saṃkīrṇayuddhe ca śikṣayāmāsa kauravān |
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Sinanay ni Droṇa ang mga Kaurava sa labanan ng pamalo (mace), sa paggamit ng espada, at sa paggamit ng sibat, dulo, at sandatang śakti; at itinuro rin niya ang sining ng masiksik at halong labanan—kung paano gumamit ng maraming sandata nang sunod-sunod at kung paano humarap sa maraming kaaway kahit nag-iisa.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights comprehensive kṣatriya training: mastery of multiple weapons and the capacity to fight effectively in chaotic melee conditions. Implicitly, it points to the ethical dimension that skill is morally neutral—its righteousness depends on whether it is guided by dharma.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Droṇa, as the royal preceptor, systematically instructs the Kauravas in mace-fighting, swordsmanship, and the use of various projectile and hand-held weapons, including techniques for mixed combat against multiple opponents.