Shloka 104
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
विदुरस्य च वाक्येन सुरज्रोपक्रमक्रिया । निषाद्या: पज्चपुत्राया: सुप्ताया जतुवेश्मनि,फिर विदुरकी बात मानकर सुरंग खुदवानेका कार्य आरम्भ किया गया। उसी लाक्षागृहमें अपने पाँच पुत्रोंके साथ सोती हुई एक भीलनी और पुरोचन भी जल मरे--यह सब कथा कही गयी है। हिडिम्बवधपर्वमें घोर वनके मार्गसे यात्रा करते समय पाण्डवोंको हिडिम्बाके दर्शन, महाबली भीमसेनके द्वारा हिडिम्बासुरके वध तथा घटोत्कचके जन्मकी कथा कही गयी है
vidurasya ca vākyena suraṅgopakrama-kriyā | niṣādyāḥ pañca-putrāyāḥ suptāyā jatu-veśmani ||
Acting on Vidura’s counsel, the work of beginning a secret tunnel was set in motion. In the house of lac, a Niṣāda (forest-woman) with her five sons—lying asleep there—was burned along with Purocana; thus the account is narrated. The passage underscores how prudence and timely warning can preserve the righteous, yet also how deceit and political violence lead to collateral suffering, leaving an ethical shadow even over a successful escape.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wise counsel (Vidura’s) and timely, discreet action can protect those aligned with dharma; however, the episode also highlights the moral cost of political conspiracies—innocents can suffer when adharma sets events in motion.
Following Vidura’s warning, a secret tunnel is begun to enable escape from the lac house. Subsequently, in that lac house, Purocana and a sleeping Niṣāda woman with her five sons are burned, which becomes part of the narrated account surrounding the Pandavas’ escape from the plot.