Shloka 54
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
ततो द्रोणो<5ब्रवीद् राजन्नेकलव्यमिदं वच: । यदि शिष्योडसि मे वीर वेतनं दीयतां मम
tato droṇo 'bravīd rājann ekalavyam idaṁ vacaḥ | yadi śiṣyo 'si me vīra vetanaṁ dīyatāṁ mama ||
Darauf sagte Droṇa zu Ekalavya: „O König, höre diese Worte: Wenn du wahrhaft mein Schüler bist, o Held, dann gib mir meine guru-dakṣiṇā, den Lohn des Lehrers.“ In der Erzählung erscheint die Forderung als legitimer Anspruch des Gurus, doch sie prüft zugleich die Grenzen von Gerechtigkeit und Macht—wie Autorität Opfer erzwingen kann und wie Hingabe sich durch eine kostspielige Gabe bewähren soll.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the traditional obligation of guru-dakṣiṇā (a teacher’s due) and probes its ethical edge: devotion and discipleship can be tested through sacrifice, but such demands also raise questions about fairness, coercion, and the responsible use of authority.
Droṇa addresses Ekalavya and, invoking the claim that Ekalavya is his disciple, asks him to pay the teacher’s fee. This sets up the well-known episode in which Ekalavya’s loyalty is measured through a severe demand.