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 berkata: “Wahai tuan bagi sekalian rakyat! Ketika itu para putera Kaurava terdiam di hadapan tuanku. Sesudahnya Arjuna, pembakar musuh, berikrar akan menyempurnakan seluruh tugas itu.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
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.