Mahabharata 1.111.9 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 111, Shloka 9
पाण्डोः तपः-प्रसङ्गः, ऋण-धर्मः, अपत्य-प्राप्ति-चिन्ता
Pāṇḍu’s Asceticism, the Doctrine of Debts, and Deliberations on Progeny
सा ददर्श तमायान्तं भास्करं लोकभावनम् । विस्मिता चानवद्याज्ञी दृष्टवा तन््महद्भुतम्
sā dadarśa tam āyāntaṃ bhāskaraṃ lokabhāvanam | vismitā cānavadyājñī dṛṣṭvā tan mahadbhutam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: She saw Bhāskara—the Sun, the sustainer of the worlds—approaching. Beholding that great marvel, the blameless and discerning Kuntī was struck with astonishment, for the invoked deity had truly appeared before her.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the gravity of invoking divine powers: when a sacred call is made, its result can be immediate and real. Ethically, it underscores reverence, restraint, and responsibility in the use of spiritual knowledge, since extraordinary forces are not merely symbolic but can transform one’s life and duties.
In the Kuntī-upākhyāna context, Kuntī witnesses the Sun-god Bhāskara approaching after being invoked. The sudden divine manifestation is described as a “great wonder,” and Kuntī—portrayed as blameless and discerning—reacts with astonishment at the deity’s arrival.
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