Shloka 41
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
(गत्वोत्तरदिशं वीरो विजित्य युधि पार्थिवान् । धनरत्नौघधममितमानयिष्यति पाण्डव: ।।
gatvottaradiśaṃ vīro vijitya yudhi pārthivān | dhana-ratnaugham amitām ānayiṣyati pāṇḍavaḥ || etasya bhuja-vīryeṇa khāṇḍave havyavāhanaḥ | medasā sarva-bhūtānāṃ tṛptiṃ yāsyati vai parām ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Pahlawan Pāṇḍava itu akan pergi ke penjuru utara; setelah menaklukkan para raja dalam pertempuran, ia akan membawa pulang banjir harta dan permata yang tak terhingga. Dan oleh kekuatan lengannya, di rimba Khāṇḍava, Havyavāhana (Dewa Api) akan mencapai kepuasan tertinggi dengan melahap lemak segala makhluk hidup.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how human prowess and royal conquest can become instruments for larger, even unsettling, cosmic purposes: Arjuna’s victories yield wealth, while the same strength enables Agni’s grim ‘satiation’ in Khāṇḍava—inviting reflection on the ethical ambiguity of power and the far-reaching consequences of martial success.
Vaiśampāyana foretells that the Pāṇḍava hero (implicitly Arjuna) will travel north, defeat regional kings, and return with vast riches; additionally, his might will facilitate Agni’s fulfillment in the Khāṇḍava forest, foreshadowing the Khāṇḍava episode where Fire seeks satisfaction through burning and consuming living beings.