Shloka 70
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
मद्वाक्यसमकालं तु शिरो<स्य विनिपात्यताम् | एकैकशो नियोक्ष्यामि तथा कुरुत पुत्रका:
mad-vākya-samakālaṃ tu śiro 'sya vinipātyatām | ekaikaśo niyokṣyāmi tathā kuruta putrakāḥ ||
ヴァイサンパーヤナは語った。「わが命が下るその瞬間に、その首を斬り落として落下させよ。汝らを一人ずつ順にこの役に就かせる。子らよ、わが指図のとおりに行え。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethics of obedience to authority: a leader issues a precise, time-bound command and insists on disciplined execution. It implicitly raises moral tension—how duty and compliance can be demanded even when the act involves severe violence—inviting reflection on responsibility, agency, and the limits of following orders.
The speaker (Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator) reports an instruction: upon receiving the command, the addressed ‘sons’ are to strike down ‘his’ head immediately. The speaker will appoint them one at a time to carry out the act, emphasizing orderly, sequential assignment and strict adherence to instructions.