Shloka 2
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
सा बलिं त्वरिता देवी धर्मायोपजहार ह । जजाप विधिवज्जप्यं दत्तं दुर्वाससा पुरा
sā baliṁ tvaritā devī dharmāyopajahāra ha | jajāpa vidhivajjapyaṁ dattaṁ durvāsasā purā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The goddess-like Kuntī, in haste, offered the ritual bali to Dharma. Then, in proper form and according to rule, she recited the invocation mantra that the sage Durvāsas had once bestowed upon her.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes acting within dharma through proper intention and proper procedure: Kuntī first performs the appropriate offering to Dharma and then recites the mantra in a ritually correct manner, showing that power (mantra) is to be approached through discipline and righteousness.
Kuntī, described honorifically as devī, quickly makes a bali-offering to the deity Dharma and then performs japa of the special mantra previously given to her by the sage Durvāsas, initiating a divine invocation central to the ensuing events.