Shloka 71

Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata

Lākṣāgṛha Planning

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो युधिष्ठिरं पूर्वमुवाचाज्धिरसां वर: । संधत्स्व बाणं दुर्धर्ष मद्वाक्यान्ते विमुडच तम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | tato yudhiṣṭhiraṃ pūrvam uvāca āṅgirasāṃ varaḥ | saṃdhatsva bāṇaṃ durdharṣa madvākya-ante vimocaya tam ||

Translation

বৈশম্পায়ন বললেন—তখন অঙ্গিরাবংশের শ্রেষ্ঠ দ্রোণাচার্য প্রথমে যুধিষ্ঠিরকে বললেন—“দুর্ধর্ষ বীর! ধনুকে তীর সন্ধান কর; আর আমার আদেশ সম্পূর্ণ হতেই তা ছেড়ে দে।”

Word by Word

• {'tataḥ': 'then, thereafter', 'yudhiṣṭhiram': 'Yudhiṣṭhira (the eldest Pāṇḍava)', 'pūrvam': 'first, at the outset', 'uvāca': 'said, spoke', 'āṅgirasām varaḥ': 'the best among the Aṅgiras lineage (epithet of Droṇa in this context)', 'saṃdhatsva': 'fix (it), set in place (imperative)', 'bāṇam': 'arrow', 'durdharṣa': 'hard to assail

• formidable (vocative)', 'mad-vākya-ante': 'at the end of my words

• upon completion of my command', 'vimocaya': 'release, let fly (imperative)', 'tam': 'that (arrow)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Droṇa
• Aṅgiras (lineage reference)
• arrow (bāṇa)
• bow (implied by setting the arrow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined power: even a capable warrior should act only at the right time and under proper guidance. Restraint and obedience to a legitimate teacher’s command are presented as ethical foundations for martial skill.

What is happening in the narrative?

Droṇa, the preeminent teacher, addresses Yudhiṣṭhira first and gives a precise archery instruction: nock the arrow and release it only when the command is fully given, emphasizing controlled execution in training.