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
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | tvāṁ kauraveyās te tṛṣṇīm āsan viśāṁpate | ajanasat tataḥ sarvaṁ pratijajñe paraṁtapa ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—विशाम्पते! तदा ते कौरवेयास्त्वां प्रति तूष्णीमासन्। ततः परन्तपः पार्थः सर्वं तत्कर्म समापयिष्यामीति प्रतिजज्ञे।
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.