Shloka 16
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
यदड्कात् पतितो मातु: शिलां गान्रैव्यचूर्णयत् । (कुन्ती तु सह पुत्रेण यात्वा सुरुचिरं सर: । स्नात्वा तु सुतमादाय दशमे5हनि यादवी ।।
yad aṅkāt patito mātuḥ śilāṃ gāndharva-cūrṇayat |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: When the child fell from his mother’s lap, he shattered a rock into powder with the force of his own body.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as an omen: extraordinary innate power is presented as a sign of divine purpose. It suggests that virtue and destiny are supported by higher forces, and that the future protector of the lineage is marked from birth.
A newborn/infant (identified in the surrounding passage as Bhīma) slips from Kuntī’s lap; upon falling, his body’s impact pulverizes a rock. The narrator uses this marvel to underscore the child’s exceptional strength and foretold greatness.