Shloka 5
Adhyāya 2: Nārada’s Disclosure—Karṇa’s Training and the Brahmin’s Curse (Śānti-parva)
स बालस्तेजसा युक्तः सूतपुत्रत्वमागतः । चकाराद्िरसां श्रेष्ठाद् धनुर्वेदं गुरोस्तदा,वही तेजस्वी बालक सूतपुत्रके रूपमें प्रसिद्ध हुआ। उसने अंगिरागोत्रीय ब्राह्मणोंमें श्रेष्ठ गुरु द्रोणाचार्यसे धनुर्वेदकी शिक्षा प्राप्त की
sa bālas tejasā yuktaḥ sūtaputratvam āgataḥ | cakārāṅgirasāṃ śreṣṭhād dhanurvedaṃ guros tadā ||
Nārada said: Endowed with innate brilliance even as a boy, he came to be known as the son of a charioteer. At that time he learned the science of archery (Dhanurveda) from his teacher—Drona, the foremost among the Āṅgirasa lineage.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that innate excellence (tejas) can exist regardless of social label, but it becomes effective and ethically directed through disciplined learning under a qualified guru; reputation and birth-identity may shape how society sees a person, yet training and character shape what the person becomes.
Nārada describes a gifted boy who becomes publicly known as a sūtaputra and, at that stage of his life, studies Dhanurveda under Droṇa, described as foremost among the Āṅgirasa Brahmins—establishing the boy’s martial education and the authority of his teacher.