Shloka 40
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
एष मद्रान् वशे कृत्वा कुरूंश्व सह सोमकै: । चेदिकाशिकरूषांश्व॒ कुरुलक्ष्मीं वहिष्पति,“तुम्हारा यह वीर पुत्र मद्र, कुर, सोमक, चेदि, काशि तथा करूष नामक देशोंको वशमें करके कुरुवंशकी लक्ष्मीका पालन करेगा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | eṣa madrān vaśe kṛtvā kurūṃś ca saha somakaiḥ | cedikāśikarūṣāṃś ca kurulakṣmīṃ vahiṣyati ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “This heroic son of yours, having brought the Madras under his control, and likewise the Kurus together with the Somakas, and also the Cedis, Kāśis, and Karūṣas, will uphold and sustain the prosperity and royal fortune of the Kuru line.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ideal kingship as the capacity to establish order (vaśe kṛtvā) and thereby protect the dynasty’s welfare (kurulakṣmīṃ vahiṣyati). Power is presented as legitimate when it results in stability, protection, and the sustained prosperity of the realm and lineage.
Vaiśampāyana reports a prediction or assurance about a certain ‘heroic son’: he will subdue multiple neighboring peoples—Madra, Kuru with Somaka, Cedi, Kāśi, and Karūṣa—and will maintain the splendor and prosperity of the Kuru house.