Shloka 56
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
वैशम्पायन उवाच तमब्रवीत् त्वयादुष्ठो दक्षिणो दीयतामिति,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तब द्रोणाचार्यने उससे कहा--“तुम मुझे दाहिने हाथका आँगूठा दे दो”
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tam abravīt—tvayā duṣṭho dakṣiṇo dīyatām iti.
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。彼に向かってドローナは言った。「汝は師への謝礼として、右手の親指を我に差し出さねばならぬ。」物語の倫理的緊張の中で、この要求は苛烈な「師礼」として働き、服従を試すと同時に、権威がいかにして才ある外部の者を縛り抑えるために用いられ得るかを露わにする。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral complexity of guru-dakṣiṇā: a teacher’s authority can be framed as rightful due, yet it can also become an instrument to limit another’s potential. It invites reflection on dharma in education—fairness, responsibility, and the ethical use of power.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration to King Janamejaya, Droṇa addresses the youth and demands the ‘right (thumb)’ as the teacher’s fee—an act that, in the broader episode, is meant to curb the student’s extraordinary skill.