Shloka 24
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
अमानुषान् मानुषांश्व संग्रामे स हनिष्यति । कर्मणा मनसा वाचा तस्मात् तप्स्ये महत् तप:
amānuṣān mānuṣāṁś ca saṅgrāme sa haniṣyati | karmaṇā manasā vācā tasmāt tapsye mahat tapaḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「彼が授ける子は、戦場において非人の者どもも人の敵も討ち滅ぼすことができる。ゆえに私は大いなる苦行を行う—身をもって、心をもって、言葉をもって。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes total discipline in spiritual effort: true tapas is integrated across action (karma), thought (manas), and speech (vāc). It also shows how intention shapes practice—here, austerity is undertaken with a concrete aim (obtaining a formidable son), raising ethical reflection on the pursuit of power and its use in war.
The speaker states that the desired son will be capable of defeating both human and non-human opponents in battle. On that basis, the character resolves to perform intense austerities, committing all three channels—deed, mind, and speech—to the undertaking.