Shloka 3
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
आजगाम ततो देवो धर्मो मन्त्रबलातू ततः । विमाने सूर्यसंकाशे कुन्ती यत्र जपस्थिता,तब मन्त्रबलसे आकृष्ट हो भगवान् धर्म सूर्यके समान तेजस्वी विमानपर बैठकर उस स्थानपर आये, जहाँ कुन्तीदेवी जपमें लगी हुई थीं
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ājagāma tato devo dharmo mantrabalāt tataḥ | vimāne sūryasaṅkāśe kuntī yatra japasthitā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, drawn by the power of the mantra, the god Dharma came there—arriving in a chariot radiant like the sun—at the very place where Kuntī was seated, absorbed in her sacred recitation.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s idea that disciplined mantra-recitation (japa) is not merely symbolic: it is portrayed as efficacious, capable of invoking divine forces. The arrival of Dharma specifically underscores that ethical order responds to sincere, focused practice—suggesting that spiritual discipline and moral principle are intertwined.
Kuntī is engaged in japa, and by the power of her mantra the deity Dharma is drawn to her. He arrives in a radiant, sun-like vimāna at the place where she is seated, setting the stage for the ensuing divine encounter connected with Kuntī’s mantra-based invocation.