Shloka 16
धृतराष्ट्राश्रमगमनम् — The Pandavas’ Procession to Dhritarashtra’s Hermitage
द्रोणं बृहस्पतेर्भागं विद्धि द्रौणिं च रुद्रजम् । भीष्मं च विद्धि गाज़ेयं वसुं मानुषतां गतम्
droṇaṁ bṛhaspater bhāgaṁ viddhi drauṇiṁ ca rudrajam | bhīṣmaṁ ca viddhi gāṅgeyaṁ vasuṁ mānuṣatāṁ gatam ||
Wika ni Vyāsa: “Alamin ninyo na si Droṇa ay bahagi ni Bṛhaspati, at alamin ninyo na si Droṇi (Aśvatthāmā) ay isinilang mula sa diwa ni Rudra. At alamin ninyo na si Bhīṣma, anak ng Gaṅgā, ay isang Vasu na pumasok sa buhay ng tao.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that extraordinary human capacities in the epic are understood as partial manifestations of divine powers: Droṇa reflects Bṛhaspati’s priestly-intellectual force, Aśvatthāmā is linked to Rudra’s fierce energy, and Bhīṣma is a Vasu in human form. This frames the war’s actors within a cosmic-moral order, cautioning that greatness and destructiveness alike carry responsibility under dharma.
Vyāsa identifies the divine origins of key Kuru-war figures. He explains to the listener that Droṇa, Aśvatthāmā, and Bhīṣma are not merely historical persons but are connected to specific deities (Bṛhaspati, Rudra, and the Vasus), clarifying their exceptional nature and the larger metaphysical background of the events.