Shloka 17
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
नान्वबुध्यत संसुप्तमुत्सड़े स्वे वृकोदरम् । ततः स वज्रसंघात: कुमारो न््यपतद् गिरी
nānvabudhyata saṃsuptam utsaṅge sve vṛkodaram | tataḥ sa vajrasaṃghātaḥ kumāro nyapatad giriśikhare ||
Vaiśampāyana said: In his haste he did not notice that Vṛkodara (Bhīma) was asleep in his own lap. Then the boy, whose body was hard like a thunderbolt, fell down upon the mountain peak.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how haste and lack of awareness can endanger others; strength or bold action, when unmindful, becomes ethically risky. Attentiveness (apramāda) is implied as a safeguard aligned with dharma.
A boy, described as thunderbolt-bodied, acts impulsively and falls onto a mountain peak, not realizing that Bhīma (Vṛkodara) is asleep in his lap—creating a moment of danger born from inattentiveness.