Shloka 6
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 25: Kaurava Deliberation and the Search Directive (अन्वेषण-आदेशः)
संविधाय यथादृष्टं यथादेशप्रदर्शनम् । कृतकृत्या न्यवर्तन्त ते चरा नगरं प्रति
saṃvidhāya yathādṛṣṭaṃ yathādeśapradarśanam | kṛtakṛtyā nyavartanta te carā nagaraṃ prati ||
Setelah menyusun laporan sesuai apa yang mereka lihat dan sebagaimana perintah yang diberikan—melaporkan apa yang tampak dan apa yang dapat dipastikan—para mata-mata itu, usai menuntaskan tugasnya, berbalik menuju kota.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined execution of assigned duty and accurate reporting—an aspect of rājadharma (statecraft). Ethically, it also points to the tension between legitimate governance tools (intelligence gathering) and their use for hostile ends in a fraternal conflict.
Duryodhana’s roaming spies, deployed across various regions to locate the Pāṇḍavas during their incognito period, complete their searches and return toward the capital (Hastināpura) to report what they could observe or ascertain.