Shloka 2
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
सा बलिं त्वरिता देवी धर्मायोपजहार ह । जजाप विधिवज्जप्यं दत्तं दुर्वाससा पुरा
sā baliṁ tvaritā devī dharmāyopajahāra ha | jajāpa vidhivajjapyaṁ dattaṁ durvāsasā purā ||
Kuntī, laksana seorang dewi, dengan segera mempersembahkan bali (sesaji) kepada Dharma. Lalu, menurut tata-aturan, ia melafalkan mantra pemanggilan yang dahulu dianugerahkan kepadanya oleh resi Durvāsas.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes acting within dharma through proper intention and proper procedure: Kuntī first performs the appropriate offering to Dharma and then recites the mantra in a ritually correct manner, showing that power (mantra) is to be approached through discipline and righteousness.
Kuntī, described honorifically as devī, quickly makes a bali-offering to the deity Dharma and then performs japa of the special mantra previously given to her by the sage Durvāsas, initiating a divine invocation central to the ensuing events.