Shloka 22

Aṃśāvataraṇa-kathana (Catalog of Divine/Asuric Portions in Human Births) — Chapter 61

Devanagari script

पुरोचनाद्‌ रक्षमाणा: संवत्सरमतन्द्रिता: । सुरुड़ां कारयित्वा तु विदुरेण प्रचोदिता:,धृतराष्ट्रकी आज्ञासे शत्रुओंका दमन करनेवाले कुन्तीकुमार महात्मा पाण्डव वारणावत नगरमें आकर लाक्षागृहमें अपनी माताके साथ रहने लगे। पुरोचनसे सुरक्षित हो सदा सजग रहकर उन्होंने एक वर्षतक वहाँ निवास किया। फिर विदुरकी प्रेरणा (विदुरके भेजे हुए आदमियों)-से पाण्डवोंने एक सुरंग खुदवायी। तत्पश्चात्‌ वे शत्रुसंतापी पाण्डव उस लाक्षागृहमें आग लगा पुरोचनको दग्ध करके भयसे व्याकुल हो मातासहित सुरंगद्वारा वहाँसे निकल भागे

Transliteration

purocanād rakṣamāṇāḥ saṃvatsaram atandritāḥ | suruṅgāṃ kārayitvā tu vidureṇa pracoditāḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Manteniéndose en constante vigilancia mientras eran “protegidos” por Purocana, permanecieron allí un año entero. Luego, instigados por Vidura, mandaron excavar un túnel: un acto de previsión y de legítima preservación frente a un complot oculto. Este verso señala la estrategia ética de los Pāṇḍavas: no inician la traición, pero emplean medios prudentes para escapar de un intento injusto contra sus vidas.

Word by Word

• {'purocanāt': 'from/under Purocana (the agent placed to watch them

• instrumental/ablative sense in context)', 'rakṣamāṇāḥ': 'being guarded/protected (often with ironic undertone here: ‘kept under watch’)', 'saṃvatsaram': 'for a year', 'atandritāḥ': 'untiring, vigilant, not negligent', 'suruṅgām': 'a tunnel, underground passage', 'kārayitvā': 'having caused to be made

• having arranged to be constructed', 'tu': 'but/then (transition marker)', 'vidureṇa': 'by Vidura (instrumental: through Vidura’s agency/advice)', 'pracoditāḥ': 'impelled, prompted, urged on'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Purocana
• Vidura
• Pandavas
• suruṅgā (tunnel)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When faced with adharma disguised as ‘protection,’ dharma may require alertness and intelligent precaution. The verse highlights ethical prudence: safeguarding life through foresight and counsel (Vidura) without resorting to unjust aggression.

What is happening in the narrative?

The Pandavas, kept under Purocana’s watch at Vāraṇāvata, remain vigilant for a year. Acting on Vidura’s prompting, they arrange for a tunnel to be dug—preparing an escape route from the impending danger of the lac-house plot.