Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
शृण्वतां सर्वभूतानां तेषां चाश्रमवासिनाम् | कुन्तीमाभाष्य विस्पष्टमुवाचेदं शुचिस्मिताम्
śṛṇvatāṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ teṣāṃ cāśramavāsinām | kuntīm ābhāṣya vispaṣṭam uvācedaṃ śucismitām ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Ketika semua makhluk dan para penghuni pertapaan sedang mendengar, satu suara menyapa Kuntī—yang senyumannya suci—dan berkata kepadanya dengan kejelasan yang tidak mungkin disalahertikan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse emphasizes that morally significant events are not merely private: a divine announcement is made in the presence of all beings and the āśrama community, underscoring accountability, communal witness, and the dharmic weight of lineage and destiny.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a clear proclamation is spoken to Kuntī—described as ‘pure-smiling’—while everyone present (and symbolically all beings) listens; it introduces a decisive message connected with the newborn (contextually, Arjuna’s birth).