Shloka 5
Adhyāya 2: Nārada’s Disclosure—Karṇa’s Training and the Brahmin’s Curse (Śānti-parva)
स बालस्तेजसा युक्तः सूतपुत्रत्वमागतः । चकाराद्िरसां श्रेष्ठाद् धनुर्वेदं गुरोस्तदा,वही तेजस्वी बालक सूतपुत्रके रूपमें प्रसिद्ध हुआ। उसने अंगिरागोत्रीय ब्राह्मणोंमें श्रेष्ठ गुरु द्रोणाचार्यसे धनुर्वेदकी शिक्षा प्राप्त की
sa bālas tejasā yuktaḥ sūtaputratvam āgataḥ | cakārāṅgirasāṃ śreṣṭhād dhanurvedaṃ guros tadā ||
Nārada sprach: Schon als Knabe war er mit angeborenem Glanz begabt und wurde doch als Sohn eines Wagenlenkers bekannt. Damals erlernte er die Wissenschaft des Bogens (Dhanurveda) von seinem Lehrer Droṇa, dem Vornehmsten der Āṅgirasa-Linie.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that innate excellence (tejas) can exist regardless of social label, but it becomes effective and ethically directed through disciplined learning under a qualified guru; reputation and birth-identity may shape how society sees a person, yet training and character shape what the person becomes.
Nārada describes a gifted boy who becomes publicly known as a sūtaputra and, at that stage of his life, studies Dhanurveda under Droṇa, described as foremost among the Āṅgirasa Brahmins—establishing the boy’s martial education and the authority of his teacher.