Shloka 20
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
जाते वृकोदरे पाण्डुरिदं भूयो5न्वचिन्तयत् | कथं नु मे वर: पुत्रो लोकश्रेष्ठो भवेदिति
jāte vṛkodare pāṇḍur idaṃ bhūyo 'nvacintayat | kathaṃ nu me varaḥ putro lokaśreṣṭho bhaved iti ||
ヴリコーダラが生まれると、パーンドゥは再び思案した。「いかなる手立てによって、世の人々の中で最上となる、まことに優れた子を得られようか。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents deliberate aspiration: Pāṇḍu’s desire is not merely for a son, but for a son of exceptional excellence. It reflects a royal-ethical concern for the quality of leadership and legacy—seeking the ‘best’ as a responsibility tied to lineage and the welfare of the world.
After the birth of Vṛkodara (Bhīma), Pāṇḍu again begins to deliberate about how he might obtain another outstanding son—one who would be foremost among people. It signals the continuation of the Pāṇḍavas’ divine-assisted births and Pāṇḍu’s ongoing planning for heirs.