THE THIRD VERSE OF THE FIRST CHAPTER

BEHOLD, O MASTER, THIS MIGHTY ARMY OF THE SONS OF PANDU, MARSHALLED BY THE SON OF DRUPADA, YOUR TALENTED DESCIPLE:

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Arjuna speaks his mind and his words betray that in the game of dice he might have won through the intrigue of his uncle, Sahuni, but this being a dharma yudha, or war between the righteous Pandavas and the avaricious Duriyodana, he is afraid of fears of imminent defeat; that is why he calls the small army on the other side as big; the truth is his army was bigger than that of the Pandavas. Moreover, according to Swamy Sidbhavanada of Thiruparaithurai, Duruyodhana criticizes his teacher, Drona for having taught the art of archery to the Pandavas too. This comes out through his words , “your talented disciple”. Indeed Drona had not been remiss in his duties to teach whatever he taught to the Pandavas, but it was the greatness of the pandavas, especially, Arjuna who had exhibited greater diligence in learning the art from their teacher whereas even as a boy Duriyodhana spent the better part of his time in schemes as taught by his vilely uncle, Sahuni.

   There is a story attached to Arjuna’s single minded devotion to the teacher and his teaching, as also of his power of consentration: while both the Pandavas and Kauravas were boys and being taught by Drona the art of archery, one day he asked to take an aim at a bird perched on a branch of a tree, and shoot the arrow, and one by one boys were answering his question as to what they did see; one said he saw the tree, another said he saw the branch, and yet another said he saw the bird. But when Arjuna took the aim, he was posed the same question as to what he saw, and he said, he only saw the eye of the bird. That was his power of concentration.

   Even if one goes to the middle of the sea to draw water, he could do so only according to the capacity of the vessel; if he goes to the sea with a pot or pitcher, that much only would he be able to bring back, and simply because the sea is the endless water body, one cannot draw all the water with a pitcher. While the hundred disciples on the side of Kauravas went to the sea, the teacher Drona was, each with a coconut shell, Arjuna went to the sea with several oil tankers! In this, Duriyodhana has nothing righteous to complain.