Shloka 11

Ādi-parva Adhyāya 141: Bhīma–Hiḍimba Confrontation and Protective Discourse

Devanagari script

स च म्लेच्छाधम: पापो दग्धस्तत्र पुरोचन: । वज्चिताश्न दुरात्मानो धार्तराष्ट्रा: सहानुगा:,म्लेच्छोंमें (भी) नीच पापी पुरोचन भी उसी घरमें जल मरा और धृतराष्ट्रके दुरात्मा पुत्र अपने सेवकोंसहित धोखा खा गये

Transliteration

sa ca mlecchādhamaḥ pāpo dagdhas tatra purocanaḥ | vañcitāś ca durātmāno dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ sahānugāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Dort verbrannte der niederträchtige und sündige Purocana — der Niedrigste unter den mleccha — in eben jenem Haus. Und die ruchlosen Söhne Dhṛtarāṣṭras wurden samt ihren Gefolgsleuten getäuscht — und ernteten die Folge ihres eigenen Verrats.

Word by Word

सःhe

चand

म्लेच्छाधमःthe vilest of mlecchas (barbarians)

पापःsinful, wicked

दग्धःburnt (having been burned)

तत्रthere

पुरोचनःPurocana

वञ्चिताःdeceived, cheated

आसन्were

दुरात्मानःevil-souled (men)

धार्तराष्ट्राःthe sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Kauravas)

सहtogether with

अनुगैःwith followers/attendants

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Purocana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Dhārtarāṣṭras (Kauravas)

the lac-house (jatu-gṛha) implied

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Adharma rooted in deceit rebounds upon its perpetrators: the plot to destroy others becomes the cause of ruin for the plotters and their agent, illustrating moral causality and the peril of wicked counsel.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the aftermath of the lac-house scheme, Purocana perishes in the fire, and the Dhārtarāṣṭras (Kaurava party) are fooled into believing their plan succeeded—only to be outmaneuvered.