Shloka 69
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
दहनो<थेश्व॒रशक्षेव कपाली च विशाम्पते । स्थाणुर्भगश्च भगवान् रुद्रास्तत्रावतस्थिरे
dahano 'theśvaraś caiva kapālī ca viśāmpate | sthāṇur bhagaś ca bhagavān rudrās tatrāvatasthire ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O lord of the people, Dahana and Īśvara, Kapālī, Sthāṇu, and the blessed Bhaga—these Rudras too came there and stood present.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that divine forces associated with Rudra are present as part of a larger cosmic witnessing: major events are not merely human affairs but occur under the gaze of powers that uphold and enforce dharma.
Vaiśampāyana enumerates specific Rudras—Dahana, Īśvara, Kapālī, Sthāṇu, Bhaga—stating that they arrived and stood there, indicating a divine gathering/attendance at the scene being described.