Shloka 7
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
वैशम्पायन उवाच 8 त्वा कौरवेयास्ते तृष्णीमासन् विशाम्पते । अजनसत ततः सर्व प्रतिजज्ञे परंतप,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले राजा जनमेजय! आचार्यकी वह बात सुनकर सब कौरव चुप रह गये; परंतु अर्जुनने वह सब कार्य पूर्ण करनेकी प्रतिज्ञा कर ली
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | tvāṁ kauraveyās te tṛṣṇīm āsan viśāṁpate | ajanasat tataḥ sarvaṁ pratijajñe paraṁtapa ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O lord of the people, those Kaurava princes then fell silent before you. Thereafter Arjuna, scorcher of foes, vowed to accomplish the entire undertaking—showing that when others hesitate, a righteous resolve and personal accountability can carry a difficult duty to completion.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical force of pratijñā (a solemn vow): when a duty must be fulfilled and others fall silent or withdraw, a single person’s steadfast resolve—especially in service of dharma—can sustain and complete the undertaking.
Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that the Kaurava princes became silent after hearing the teacher’s words; then Arjuna, famed as a ‘scorcher of foes,’ undertook a vow to carry out the entire task to completion.