Shloka 27
जयद्रथविमोचन–पलायनवृत्तान्तः
Recovery of Draupadī and Jayadratha’s flight
न हि ते पाण्डवा: सर्वे कलाम्हन्ति षोडशीम् । अन्ये वा पुरुषव्याप्र राजानो5भ्युदितोदिता:,'पुरुषसिंह! वे समस्त पाण्डव अथवा अन्य श्रेष्ठठटम नरेश तुम्हारी सोलहवीं कलाके बराबर भी नहीं हो सकते
na hi te pāṇḍavāḥ sarve kalām arhanti ṣoḍaśīm | anye vā puruṣavyāghra rājāno ’bhyuditoditāḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Tunay, kahit magsama-sama ang lahat ng Pāṇḍava, hindi sila karapat-dapat kahit sa ikalabing-anim na bahagi ng iyong kagalingan. Ni ang ibang mga hari—kahit tanyag at pinupuri—ay hindi mo kapantay, O tigre sa mga tao.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the idiom of “a sixteenth part” to stress disproportionate excellence: fame and even collective strength do not automatically equal true superiority. Ethically, it highlights how reputation (abhyuditoditāḥ) can be invoked, yet genuine merit is presented as surpassing public acclaim.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, narrating to Janamejaya, reports a statement of emphatic praise addressed to a foremost hero (“puruṣavyāghra”), asserting that even the Pāṇḍavas—and other celebrated kings—cannot match even a small fraction of his prowess or stature.