Shloka 71
Droṇa’s Ācārya-Dakṣiṇā: Capture of Drupada and Division of Pāñcāla (द्रोण-आचार्यदक्षिणा)
एकोच्छवासात् तत: कुण्ड पिबति सम महाबल: । एवमष्टौ स कुण्डानि हापिबत् पाण्डुनन्दन:,वे एक ही साँसमें एक कुण्डका रस पी जाते थे। इस प्रकार उन महाबली पाण्डुनन्दनने आठ कुण्डोंका रस पी लिया
ekocchvāsāt tataḥ kuṇḍaṁ pibati samaḥ mahābalaḥ | evam aṣṭau sa kuṇḍāni ha apibat pāṇḍunandanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Da trank jener Mächtige mit einem einzigen Atemzug den Inhalt eines Bottichs aus. Auf diese Weise trank der Sohn Pāṇḍus, von großer Kraft und Selbstbeherrschung, den Inhalt von acht solchen Bottichen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds extraordinary self-mastery and endurance: the hero’s feat is framed not as gluttony but as controlled capacity—strength governed by composure (samaḥ), suggesting that power is ethically praiseworthy when paired with restraint.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a Pāṇḍu’s son drinking the contents of a large vat in a single breath, and repeating this until eight vats are emptied, emphasizing his exceptional physical prowess and steadiness.