Shloka 24
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
अमानुषान् मानुषांश्व संग्रामे स हनिष्यति । कर्मणा मनसा वाचा तस्मात् तप्स्ये महत् तप:,मैंने सुना है कि देवराज इन्द्र ही सब देवताओंमें प्रधान हैं, उनमें अधाह बल और उत्साह है। वे बड़े पराक्रमी एवं अपार तेजस्वी हैं। मैं तपस्याद्वारा उन्हींको संतुष्ट करके महाबली पुत्र प्राप्त करूँगा। वे मुझे जो पुत्र देंगे, वह निश्चय ही सबसे श्रेष्ठ होगा तथा संग्राममें अपना सामना करनेवाले मनुष्यों तथा मनुष्येतर प्राणियों (दैत्य-दानव आदि)-को भी मारनेमें समर्थ होगा। अतः मैं मन, वाणी और क्रियाद्वारा बड़ी भारी तपस्या करूँगा
amānuṣān mānuṣāṁś ca saṅgrāme sa haniṣyati | karmaṇā manasā vācā tasmāt tapsye mahat tapaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Ang anak na ipagkakaloob niya ay makapapatay sa digmaan kapwa ng mga nilalang na di-tao at ng mga kaaway na tao. Kaya’t isasagawa ko ang isang dakilang tapas—sa gawa, sa isip, at sa salita.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes total discipline in spiritual effort: true tapas is integrated across action (karma), thought (manas), and speech (vāc). It also shows how intention shapes practice—here, austerity is undertaken with a concrete aim (obtaining a formidable son), raising ethical reflection on the pursuit of power and its use in war.
The speaker states that the desired son will be capable of defeating both human and non-human opponents in battle. On that basis, the character resolves to perform intense austerities, committing all three channels—deed, mind, and speech—to the undertaking.