Shloka 121

Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत आदिपर्वके अन्तर्गत सम्भवपर्वमें कुन्तीको पुत्रोत्पत्तिके लिये आदेशविषयक एक सौ इक्कीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

iti prakāraṃ śrī-mahābhārate ādiparvake antargata-sambhava-parvaṇi kuntīṃ prati putrotpatti-hetor ādeśa-viṣayaka ekaśata-ekaviṃśatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ samāptaḥ

Translation

وهكذا ينتهي الفصل الحادي والعشرون بعد المئة من قسم السَّمبهافا ضمن الآدي پرفا من المهابهاراتا الموقَّرة، في شأن التوجيه الذي وُجِّه إلى كونتي بخصوص إنجاب الأبناء—وهو مقطع يؤطّر مسألة النَّسَب والواجب والضغوط الأخلاقية التي تُلقى على عاتق النساء الملكيات في استمرار المسؤولية السلالية.

Word by Word

इतिthus

प्रकारम्manner/way

श्रीauspiciousness; honorific 'Śrī'

महाभारतम्the Mahābhārata

आदिपर्वकेin the Ādi-parvan (first book)

अन्तर्गतincluded/contained

सम्भवपर्वणिin the Sambhava-parvan

कुन्त्याःof Kuntī

पुत्रोत्पत्तयेfor the begetting/birth of a son

आदेशविषयकःconcerning an instruction/command

एकone

शतhundred

एकविंशतितमःtwenty-first

अध्यायःchapter

समाप्तःcompleted/ended

अभवत्was/became

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Mahābhārata

Ādi Parva

Sambhava Parva

Kuntī

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The colophon highlights dynastic duty as a major ethical pressure in royal life: the continuation of lineage is treated as a responsibility framed by dharma, even when it places difficult demands on individuals—here, specifically on Kuntī.

What is happening in the narrative?

This is an end-of-chapter colophon stating that the 121st chapter in the Sambhava section of the Ādi Parva has concluded, and that its subject concerned an instruction directed to Kuntī regarding the production of sons.