SanskritIASTMeaning
कुमाराः तु अथ निष्क्रम्य समेताः गजसाह्वयात्kumārāḥ tu atha niṣkramya sametāḥ gajasāhvayātThe princes, having gone out, having gathered, from Gajasahvaya (Hastinapura),
क्रीडन्तः वीटया तत्र वीराः पर्यचरन् मुदाkrīḍantaḥ vīṭayā tatra vīrāḥ paryacaran mudāplaying there with a ball (vita), the heroes sported joyfully;
पपात कूपे सा वीटा तेषां वै क्रीडतां तदाpapāta kūpe sā vīṭā teṣāṃ vai krīḍatāṃ tadāthat ball fell into a well, while they were playing, then,
न च ते प्रत्यपद्यन्त कर्म वीटा-उपलब्धयेna ca te pratyapadyanta karma vīṭā-upalabdhayeand they could not find a way to retrieve the ball
अथ द्रोणः कुमारान् तान् दृष्ट्वा कृत्यवतः तदाatha droṇaḥ kumārān tān dṛṣṭvā kṛtyavataḥ tadāThen Drona, seeing those princes troubled [by this] matter,
प्रहस्य मन्दं पैशल्यात् अभ्यभाषत वीर्यवान्prahasya mandaṃ paiśalyāt abhyabhāṣata vīryavānwith a light smile, out of good nature, the mighty one said:
अहो नु धिक् बलं क्षात्रं धिक् एतां वः कृतास्त्रताम्aho nu dhik balaṃ kṣātraṃ dhik etāṃ vaḥ kṛtāstratām"Alas, shame on kshatriya strength, shame on this skill of yours in arms,
भरतस्य अन्वये जाताः ये वीटां न अधिगच्छतbharatasya anvaye jātāḥ ye vīṭāṃ na adhigacchata[you,] born in the line of Bharata, who cannot retrieve a ball!
एषः मुष्टिः इषीकाणां मया अस्त्रेण अभिमन्त्रितःeṣaḥ muṣṭiḥ iṣīkāṇāṃ mayā astreṇa abhimantritaḥhere is a handful of reeds, consecrated by me with a weapon-spell;
अस्य वीर्यं निरीक्षध्वं यत् अन्यस्य न विद्यतेasya vīryaṃ nirīkṣadhvaṃ yat anyasya na vidyatebehold its power, such as no other possesses:
वेत्स्यामि इषीकया वीटां ताम् इषीकाम् अथ अन्ययाvetsyāmi iṣīkayā vīṭāṃ tām iṣīkām atha anyayāI shall pierce the ball with a reed, that reed with another,
ताम् अन्यया समायोगः वीटाया ग्रहणे ममtām anyayā samāyogaḥ vīṭāyā grahaṇe mamathat one with yet another; [thus] by joining [them] -- the retrieval of the ball is mine"
तत् अपश्यन् कुमाराः ते विस्मय-उत्फुल्ल-लोचनाःtat apaśyan kumārāḥ te vismaya-utphulla-locanāḥthat the princes saw, their eyes wide with astonishment,
अवेक्ष्य च उद्धृतां वीटां वीटा-वेद्धारम् अब्रुवन्avekṣya ca uddhṛtāṃ vīṭāṃ vīṭā-veddhāram abruvanand, seeing the ball drawn out, they said to the one who had pierced it:
अभिवादयामहे ब्रह्मन् न एतत् अन्येषु विद्यतेabhivādayāmahe brahman na etat anyeṣu vidyate"We salute [you], O brahmin; this is found in no others;
कः असि कं त्वा अभिजानीमः वयं किं करवामहेkaḥ asi kaṃ tvā abhijānīmaḥ vayaṃ kiṃ karavāmahewho are you? whom shall we take you to be? what shall we do for you?"
कुमारास्kumārāsoriginal form "kumārās", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्व्tvoriginal form "tv", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
समेताsametāoriginal form "sametā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
क्रीडन्तोkrīḍantooriginal form "krīḍanto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वीटोपलब्धयेvīṭopalabdhayeoriginal form "vīṭopalabdhaye", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कुमारांस्kumārāṃsoriginal form "kumārāṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कृत्यवतस्kṛtyavatasoriginal form "kṛtyavatas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पैशल्याद्paiśalyādoriginal form "paiśalyād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धिग्dhigoriginal form "dhig", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धिग्dhigoriginal form "dhig", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भरतस्यान्वयेbharatasyānvayeoriginal form "bharatasyānvaye", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
जाताjātāoriginal form "jātā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नाधिगच्छतnādhigacchataoriginal form "nādhigacchata", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एषeṣaoriginal form "eṣa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मुष्टिर्muṣṭiroriginal form "muṣṭir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मयास्त्रेणाभिमन्त्रितःmayāstreṇābhimantritaḥoriginal form "mayāstreṇābhimantritaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यद्yadoriginal form "yad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वेत्स्यामीषीकयाvetsyāmīṣīkayāoriginal form "vetsyāmīṣīkayā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अथान्ययाathānyayāoriginal form "athānyayā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
समायोगोsamāyogooriginal form "samāyogo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तद्tadoriginal form "tad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कुमारास्kumārāsoriginal form "kumārās", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विस्मयोत्फुल्ललोचनाःvismayotphullalocanāḥoriginal form "vismayotphullalocanāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अवेष्क्यaveṣkyaoriginal form "aveṣkya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चोद्धृतांcoddhṛtāṃoriginal form "coddhṛtāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वीटावेद्धारम्vīṭāveddhāramoriginal form "vīṭāveddhāram", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नैतद्naitadoriginal form "naitad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कोkooriginal form "ko", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽसि'sioriginal form "'si", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वाभिजानीमोtvābhijānīmooriginal form "tvābhijānīmo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Drona wins over the princes' hearts through wondrous skill. Notably, he displays not brute strength but subtle mastery joined with knowledge of spells: with a chain of reeds he retrieves the ball -- an image of perfect command of weapons, where what matters is not power but skill and precision. One sees here that a true teacher draws students not by compulsion but by a manifest excellence that awakens reverence. Notable too is the boys' reverence: having seen the marvel, they at once bow and ask how they may serve him -- a good student honors manifest mastery. Thus the text shows the meeting of the future teacher and his students: the sacred bond of guru and disciple is formed not by kinship or command, but by admiration for skill.