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 ||
毗舍摩波耶那说道：“诚然，那些般度五子纵然尽数合在一起，也不及你卓越的十六分之一。其余诸王——虽声名显赫、颂扬四起——亦无一能与你比肩，噢，人中之虎。”
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.