Shloka 20

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

Devanagari script

जाते वृकोदरे पाण्डुरिदं भूयो5न्वचिन्तयत्‌ | कथं नु मे वर: पुत्रो लोकश्रेष्ठो भवेदिति,भीमसेनके जन्म लेनेपर पाण्डुने फिर इस प्रकार विचार किया कि मैं कौन-सा उपाय करूँ, जिससे मुझे सब लोगोंसे श्रेष्ठ उत्तम पुत्र प्राप्त हो

Transliteration

jāte vṛkodare pāṇḍur idaṃ bhūyo 'nvacintayat | kathaṃ nu me varaḥ putro lokaśreṣṭho bhaved iti ||

Translation

Nachdem Vṛkodara geboren war, sann Pāṇḍu erneut: „Auf welche Weise könnte ich einen vortrefflichen Sohn erlangen, der der Beste unter den Menschen werde?“

Word by Word

जातेwhen (he) was born

वृकोदरेin/at Vṛkodara (Bhīma)

पाण्डुःPāṇḍu

इदम्this

भूयःagain, further

अन्वचिन्तयत्thought over, reflected

कथम्how?

नुindeed, pray (particle)

मेof me, my

वरःexcellent, best

पुत्रःson

लोकश्रेष्ठःbest among people

भवेत्might become, should be

इतिthus (quotative)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vṛkodara (Bhīmasena)

Pāṇḍu

loka (the people/world)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents deliberate aspiration: Pāṇḍu’s desire is not merely for a son, but for a son of exceptional excellence. It reflects a royal-ethical concern for the quality of leadership and legacy—seeking the ‘best’ as a responsibility tied to lineage and the welfare of the world.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the birth of Vṛkodara (Bhīma), Pāṇḍu again begins to deliberate about how he might obtain another outstanding son—one who would be foremost among people. It signals the continuation of the Pāṇḍavas’ divine-assisted births and Pāṇḍu’s ongoing planning for heirs.