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 |
毗湿摩耶那说道：德罗纳训练俱卢诸子习得棍棒之战与剑术，又教他们使用标枪、长矛与“沙克提”之类兵器；并传授近身混战之法——如何迅疾更换多种武器，亦如何纵使孤身一人也能迎战众敌。
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.