निहितौ गौतमस् तत्र तपसा ताव् अविन्दत ॥
आगम्य चास्मै गोत्रादि सर्वम् आख्यातवांस् तदा ॥
चतुर्विधं धनुर्वेदम् अस्त्राणि विविधानि च ॥
निखिलेनास्य तत् सर्वं गुह्यम् आख्यातवांस् तदा ॥
सो ऽचिरेणैव कालेन परमाचार्यतां गतः ॥
ततो ऽधिजग्मुः सर्वे ते धनुर्वेदं महारथाः ॥
धृतराष्ट्रात्मजाश् चैव पाण्डवाश् च महाबलाः ॥
वृष्णयश् च नृपाश् चान्ये नानादेशसमागताः ॥
nihitau gautamas tatra tapasā tāv avindata ||
āgamya cāsmai gotrādi sarvam ākhyātavāṃs tadā ||
caturvidhaṃ dhanurvedam astrāṇi vividhāni ca ||
nikhilenāsya tat sarvaṃ guhyam ākhyātavāṃs tadā ||
so 'cireṇaiva kālena paramācāryatāṃ gataḥ ||
tato 'dhijagmuḥ sarve te dhanurvedaṃ mahārathāḥ ||
dhṛtarāṣṭrātmajāś caiva pāṇḍavāś ca mahābalāḥ ||
vṛṣṇayaś ca nṛpāś cānye nānādeśasamāgatāḥ ||
"Gautama learned by austerity that those two had been placed there; and, coming to him, he told Kripa everything — his lineage and the rest, and the fourfold dhanurveda with its various kinds of weapons — all of it in full, its every secret, he then told him. And he, in a short time, attained the rank of supreme teacher. Then all those great warriors learned dhanurveda from him — both the sons of Dhritarashtra and the mighty Pandavas, and the Vrishnis, and other kings gathered from various lands."
dc90606a14f9 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:41:49 PM UTC
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Here the transmission of knowledge is accomplished: Sharadvan reveals to his son the whole secret science of weapons. It is significant that the father, having found his son through austerity, first restores to him his lineage (gotra) and only then the complete, hidden knowledge: the continuity of lineage and the continuity of teaching go together. Here is the ideal of transmitting knowledge — from teacher to a worthy pupil, in full and without concealment ("every secret"); a true teacher does not withhold the highest from one ready to receive it. It is significant that Kripa quickly becomes the "supreme teacher" and that both Kauravas and Pandavas, and kings from various lands, study under him together: on the threshold of their coming division they still sit at one teacher's feet. Thus scripture introduces the first acharya of the heroes and prepares the account of their training in arms — and of how a single school will raise up the future adversaries.