Shloka 56
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
वैशम्पायन उवाच तमब्रवीत् त्वयादुष्ठो दक्षिणो दीयतामिति,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तब द्रोणाचार्यने उससे कहा--“तुम मुझे दाहिने हाथका आँगूठा दे दो”
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tam abravīt—tvayā duṣṭho dakṣiṇo dīyatām iti.
Vaiśampāyana said: He then addressed him, saying, “You must give me the right thumb as my fee.” In the narrative’s ethical tension, the demand functions as a harsh ‘teacher’s due’ that tests obedience and exposes how authority can be used to restrict a gifted outsider.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral complexity of guru-dakṣiṇā: a teacher’s authority can be framed as rightful due, yet it can also become an instrument to limit another’s potential. It invites reflection on dharma in education—fairness, responsibility, and the ethical use of power.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration to King Janamejaya, Droṇa addresses the youth and demands the ‘right (thumb)’ as the teacher’s fee—an act that, in the broader episode, is meant to curb the student’s extraordinary skill.