Shloka 23
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
त॑ तोषयित्वा तपसा पुत्र लप्स्ये महाबलम् । यं दास्यति स मे पुत्र॑ं स वरीयान् भविष्यति
taṁ toṣayitvā tapasā putra lapsye mahābalam | yaṁ dāsyati sa me putraṁ sa varīyān bhaviṣyati |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Dengan tapa, aku akan menyenangkan baginda dan memperoleh seorang putera yang amat perkasa. Putera yang dianugerahkan kepadaku itulah benar-benar puteraku, dan dia akan terbukti yang terbaik—terunggul dalam kekuatan dan keberanian.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Focused austerity (tapas) directed toward a worthy divine ideal is presented as a means to attain extraordinary results; the verse also reflects the ethical tension of seeking power—strength is desired, but it is framed as a boon gained through disciplined self-control rather than mere force.
The speaker reports a resolve: to satisfy the deity through austerities and thereby obtain a son of exceptional might, who will be superior among men—setting up the motif of divinely granted offspring central to the epic’s dynastic story.