Shloka 34
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
पुत्र जनय सुश्रोणि धाम क्षत्रियतेजसाम् | लब्ध: प्रसादो देवेन्द्रात् तमाह्य शुचिस्मिते
putraṁ janaya suśroṇi dhāma kṣatriya-tejasām | labdhaḥ prasādo devendrāt tam āhya śuci-smite ||
Śakra (Indra) said: “O fair-hipped lady, give birth to a son who will be a very abode of kṣatriya valor. O pure-smiling one, Kuntī, I have obtained the favor of the Lord of the gods; therefore invoke him.”
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames progeny not merely as biological succession but as a dharmic responsibility: the desired son should embody kṣatriya-tejas (royal courage, discipline, and protective power), and such an outcome is sought through divine grace and proper invocation rather than mere personal will.
Indra (Śakra) addresses Kuntī with affectionate epithets and urges her to beget a son of exceptional kṣatriya brilliance. He states that he has secured the necessary divine favor and instructs her to invoke Devendra—signaling the imminent divine begetting that will lead to the birth of a great hero.