Shloka 7
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
समृद्धयशसं कुन्ती सुषाव प्रवरं सुतम् । जातमात्रे सुते तस्मिन् वागुवाचाशरीरिणी
samṛddhayaśasaṃ kuntī suṣāva pravaraṃ sutam | jātamātre sute tasmin vāguvāca aśarīriṇī ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Kuntī, endowed with flourishing fame, gave birth to an excellent son. The very moment that child was born, a disembodied voice spoke from the sky—
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how epic narratives frame major lives with signs and proclamations: a child’s birth is not merely biological but morally and cosmically significant. The ‘disembodied voice’ signals that actions and identity will carry dharmic consequences beyond private life.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Kuntī gives birth to an exceptional son, and immediately a bodiless heavenly voice speaks—introducing a prophetic or authoritative announcement that marks the child’s importance.