Shloka 66
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
उनके नाम इस प्रकार हैं--अनूचाना और अनवसद्या
anūcānā ca anavasadyā guṇamukhyā ca guṇāvarā | adrikā ca somā ca miśrakeśī ca alambuṣā || marīciḥ śucikā caiva vidyutparṇā tilottamā | ambikā lakṣaṇā kṣemā devī rambhā manorāmā || asitā ca subāhuś ca supriyā ca vapuḥ punaḥ | puṇḍarīkā sugandhā ca surasā pramāthinī || kāmyā ca śāradvatī cety evam-ādyāḥ sahasraśaḥ | tāḥ sarvāḥ sampranṛtyanta gaṇā gaṇāḥ samāgatāḥ || menakā sahajanyā ca karṇikā puñjikāsthalā | ṛtusthalā ghṛtācī ca viśvācī pūrvacittikā || umlocā pramlocā ceti daśaite prasṛtāḥ smṛtāḥ || urvaśy ekādaśī tāsāṃ jaguḥ snigdhāyatālocanāḥ | dhātā aryamā ca mitraś ca varuṇo 'ṃśo bhagas tathā || indro vivasvān pūṣā ca tvaṣṭā savitā parjanyaḥ | viṣṇuś ca dvādaśaite 'dityāḥ smṛtāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “The Apsarases were named thus—Anūcānā and Anavasadyā, Guṇamukhyā and Guṇāvarā, Adrikā and Somā, Miśrakeśī and Alambuṣā; Marīcī and Śucikā, Vidyutparṇā and Tilottamā; Ambikā, Lakṣaṇā, Kṣemā, Devī, Rambhā, Manoramā; Asitā and Subāhu, Supriyā and Vapu; Puṇḍarīkā and Sugandhā, Surasā and Pramāthinī, Kāmyā and Śāradvatī, and many others. Gathering in companies, they began to dance in groups. Among them, ten are especially renowned—Menakā, Sahajanyā, Karṇikā, Puñjikāsthalā, Ṛtusthalā, Ghṛtācī, Viśvācī, Pūrvacittī, Umlocā, and Pramlocā. As the eleventh among these chief Apsarases was Urvaśī; all these large-eyed beauties sang there. Then the twelve Ādityas—Dhātṛ, Aryaman, Mitra, Varuṇa, Aṃśa, Bhaga, Indra, Vivasvān, Pūṣan, Tvaṣṭṛ, Savitṛ, Parjanya, and Viṣṇu—stood in the sky, extolling the greatness of Pāṇḍu’s son (Arjuna).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how cosmic powers and celestial beings publicly affirm a hero’s stature: greatness is not merely personal prowess but is recognized within a wider moral-cosmic order (represented by the Ādityas) and celebrated through refined arts (song and dance).
Vaiśampāyana lists many Apsarases who assemble and begin dancing; he notes ten especially famous ones and adds Urvaśī as the eleventh among the principal Apsarases. They sing, while the twelve Ādityas stand in the sky praising and magnifying Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu.