Shloka 22
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
अन्धकारेअर्जुनायान्नं न देयं ते कदाचन । न चाख्येयमिदं चापि मद्वाक्यं विजये त्वया,अर्जुनको धनुष-बाणके अभ्यासमें निरन्तर लगा हुआ देख द्रोणाचार्यने रसोइयेको एकान्तमें बुलाकर कहा--“तुम अर्जुनको कभी अँधेरेमें भोजन न परोसना और मेरी यह बात भी अर्जुनसे कभी न कहना”
andhakāre 'rjunāyānnaṃ na deyaṃ te kadācana | na cākhyeyam idaṃ cāpi madvākyaṃ vijaye tvayā ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Jamás debes servir comida a Arjuna en la oscuridad. Y tampoco debes revelarle a Arjuna esta instrucción mía». En su contexto, Droṇācārya—al ver a Arjuna entregado sin tregua al ejercicio del arco y las flechas—llama en secreto al cocinero y le impone una disciplina que pone a prueba y afila la vigilancia y el dominio de sí del discípulo, ocultando el método para que el adiestramiento sea eficaz y éticamente orientado a la excelencia, no a la vanidad.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Excellence is cultivated through disciplined constraints and mindful practice; a teacher may impose targeted rules (here, not eating in darkness) to sharpen awareness and remove dependence on external conditions, while keeping the method undisclosed so the student’s growth remains genuine.
After noticing Arjuna’s constant weapons practice, Droṇa privately instructs the cook: never serve Arjuna food in the dark and never reveal that this is Droṇa’s directive—setting up a training condition meant to refine Arjuna’s alertness and capability.