Shloka 116
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
धर्माद् युधिष्ठिरो जज्ञे मारुताच्च वृकोदर: । इन्द्रादू धनंजय: श्रीमान् सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वर:
dharmād yudhiṣṭhiro jajñe mārutāc ca vṛkodaraḥ | indrād dhanañjayaḥ śrīmān sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ ||
धर्माद् युधिष्ठिरो जज्ञे मारुताच्च वृकोदरः । इन्द्राद्धनञ्जयः श्रीमान् सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वरः ॥
दाश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links each hero’s defining virtue to a divine source: Yudhiṣṭhira’s commitment to righteousness is grounded in Dharma, Bhīma’s power in the Wind-god, and Arjuna’s martial supremacy in Indra. It frames ethical authority and heroic capability as expressions of cosmic order rather than mere human accident.
A fisherman (dāśa) is recounting the births of the Pāṇḍava brothers, identifying their divine fathers and highlighting Arjuna’s preeminence among weapon-bearers. The passage functions as a genealogical and character-defining statement within the Adi Parva narrative.