Shloka 37
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
शृण्वतां सर्वभूतानां तेषां चाश्रमवासिनाम् | कुन्तीमाभाष्य विस्पष्टमुवाचेदं शुचिस्मिताम्
śṛṇvatāṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ teṣāṃ cāśramavāsinām | kuntīm ābhāṣya vispaṣṭam uvācedaṃ śucismitām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: While all living beings and the residents of the hermitage listened, a voice addressed Kuntī—she of the pure smile—and spoke to her with unmistakable clarity.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that morally significant events are not merely private: a divine announcement is made in the presence of all beings and the āśrama community, underscoring accountability, communal witness, and the dharmic weight of lineage and destiny.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a clear proclamation is spoken to Kuntī—described as ‘pure-smiling’—while everyone present (and symbolically all beings) listens; it introduces a decisive message connected with the newborn (contextually, Arjuna’s birth).