Shloka 41
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
(गत्वोत्तरदिशं वीरो विजित्य युधि पार्थिवान् । धनरत्नौघधममितमानयिष्यति पाण्डव: ।।
gatvottaradiśaṃ vīro vijitya yudhi pārthivān | dhana-ratnaugham amitām ānayiṣyati pāṇḍavaḥ || etasya bhuja-vīryeṇa khāṇḍave havyavāhanaḥ | medasā sarva-bhūtānāṃ tṛptiṃ yāsyati vai parām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “That hero, the Pāṇḍava, will go to the northern quarter and, having defeated the kings in battle, will bring back an immeasurable flood of wealth and jewels. And by the strength of his arms, in the Khāṇḍava forest the Fire-god will indeed attain supreme satisfaction by consuming the fat of all living beings.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how human prowess and royal conquest can become instruments for larger, even unsettling, cosmic purposes: Arjuna’s victories yield wealth, while the same strength enables Agni’s grim ‘satiation’ in Khāṇḍava—inviting reflection on the ethical ambiguity of power and the far-reaching consequences of martial success.
Vaiśampāyana foretells that the Pāṇḍava hero (implicitly Arjuna) will travel north, defeat regional kings, and return with vast riches; additionally, his might will facilitate Agni’s fulfillment in the Khāṇḍava forest, foreshadowing the Khāṇḍava episode where Fire seeks satisfaction through burning and consuming living beings.