Shloka 56
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
युगपस्तृणप: काष्णिनिन्दिश्षित्ररथस्तथा । त्रयोदश: शालिशिरा: पर्जन्यश्व चतुर्दश:
yugapastṛṇapaḥ kārṣṇinandiś citrarathas tathā | trayodaśaḥ śāliśirāḥ parjanyaśvaś caturdaśaḥ || bhīmasena tathā ugrasenau ūrṇāyur anaghaḥ | gopatiś ca dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ sūryavarcāś ca aṣṭamaḥ || yugapaḥ tṛṇapaḥ kārṣṇi nandiś citrarathaḥ punaḥ | śāliśirā trayodaśaḥ parjanyaśvaś caturdaśaḥ || pañcadaśaḥ kaliḥ ṣoḍaśo nāradaḥ | ṛtvā bṛhattvā bṛhakaś ca mahāmanā karālaḥ || brahmacārī tathā vikhyāto guṇavān suvarṇaḥ | viśvāvasuś ca bhūmanyuḥ sucandraḥ śaruś ca || gītamādhuryasaṃpannau suvikhyātau hāhā hūhū | rājan ete sarve devagandharvāḥ tatra samāgatāḥ ||
युगपस्तृणपः काष्णिनन्दिश्चित्ररथस्तथा । त्रयोदशः शालिशिराः पर्जन्यश्व चतुर्दशः ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage primarily functions as an enumerative catalogue, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s vision of a cosmos where divine artists (Gandharvas) participate in sacred and royal assemblies. Ethically, it underscores reverence for ordered tradition (naming, lineage, and roles) and the cultural value placed on disciplined excellence—especially music, virtue (guṇavān), and ascetic restraint (brahmacārī).
Vaiśampāyana lists the Gandharvas who arrived at a particular gathering, naming many individually (including famed singers Hāhā and Hūhū). The verse is part of a larger scene-setting sequence that establishes who is present and the grandeur of the assembly.