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 said: “You must never serve food to Arjuna in darkness. And you must not disclose this instruction of mine to Arjuna.” In context, Droṇācārya—having observed Arjuna’s relentless practice with bow and arrows—privately orders the cook to enforce a discipline that tests and sharpens Arjuna’s alertness and self-mastery, while keeping the method concealed so the training remains effective and ethically focused on excellence rather than vanity.
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.