Shloka 11
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
प्राहु: क्षत्रे बलज्येष्ठं बलज्येष्ठं सुतं वृणु । (अश्वमेध: क्रतुश्रेष्ठो ज्योतिश्श्रेष्ठो दिवाकर: । ब्राह्मणों द्विपदां श्रेष्ठो बलश्रेष्ठस्तु मारुत: ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
prāhuḥ kṣatre balajyeṣṭhaṃ balajyeṣṭhaṃ sutaṃ vṛṇu |
(aśvamedhaḥ kratuśreṣṭho jyotiśśreṣṭho divākaraḥ |
brāhmaṇo dvipadāṃ śreṣṭho balaśreṣṭhas tu mārutaḥ ||
mārutaṃ marutāṃ śreṣṭhaṃ sarvaprāṇibhir īḍitam |
āvāhaya tvaṃ niyamāt putrārthaṃ varavarṇini ||
sa no yaṃ dāsyati sutaṃ sa prāṇabalavān nṛṣu |)
atas tathokta bhartrā tu vāyum evājuhāva sā |
Vaiśampāyana said: “Among the warrior order, strength is held to be the highest excellence; therefore choose a son who is foremost in strength. Just as the Aśvamedha is the greatest of sacrifices, the Sun the chief among lights, and the Brāhmaṇa the foremost among men, so Vāyu is supreme in strength. O fair-complexioned lady, therefore, with due observance and discipline, invoke the god Vāyu—praised by all beings—for the sake of a son. The son he grants us will be pre-eminent among men in vital power and bodily might.” Thus instructed by her husband, Kuntī then invoked Vāyu alone.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames a Kṣatriya ethic: for rulers and warriors, strength and vital energy are prized as enabling protection and duty. It also emphasizes niyama—disciplined, rule-bound ritual conduct—showing that desired ends (a powerful heir) should be pursued through lawful, regulated means rather than impulse.
Kuntī’s husband advises her to invoke the deity who embodies supreme strength—Vāyu—so that the son granted will be exceptionally powerful. Following this counsel, Kuntī performs the proper invocation of Vāyu, setting the stage for the birth of a mighty son (Bhīma).