Shloka 45
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
निवातकववचा नाम दैत्या विबुधविद्विष: । शक्राज्ञया महाबाहुस्तान् वधिष्यति ते सुत:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | nivātakavacā nāma daityā vibudhavidviṣaḥ | śakrājñayā mahābāhus tān vadhiṣyati te sutaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Ada para Daitya yang dikenali sebagai Nivātakavaca, musuh kekal para dewa. Atas perintah Indra, puteramu yang berlengan perkasa akan membunuh mereka.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames warfare as legitimate when undertaken under rightful authority to protect the gods’ order against persistent aggressors; power is not merely physical but aligned with higher sanction and responsibility.
Vaiśampāyana identifies the Nivātakavaca Daityas as enemies of the gods and foretells that the listener’s mighty-armed son, acting on Indra’s command, will destroy them.