Shloka 22
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
अन्धकारेअर्जुनायान्नं न देयं ते कदाचन । न चाख्येयमिदं चापि मद्वाक्यं विजये त्वया
andhakāre 'rjunāyānnaṃ na deyaṃ te kadācana | na cākhyeyam idaṃ cāpi madvākyaṃ vijaye tvayā ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：“你切不可在黑暗中给阿周那上饭；也不可把我这道吩咐泄露给阿周那。”在此情境中，德罗那阿阇梨见阿周那持弓挟矢、勤练不辍，便私下召来厨人，命其施行此一戒律，以考验并磨砺阿周那的警觉与自制；又将方法隐而不宣，使训练得以奏效，并以追求卓越为旨归，而非滋长虚荣。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Excellence is cultivated through disciplined constraints and mindful practice; a teacher may impose targeted rules (here, not eating in darkness) to sharpen awareness and remove dependence on external conditions, while keeping the method undisclosed so the student’s growth remains genuine.
After noticing Arjuna’s constant weapons practice, Droṇa privately instructs the cook: never serve Arjuna food in the dark and never reveal that this is Droṇa’s directive—setting up a training condition meant to refine Arjuna’s alertness and capability.