Shloka 54
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
ततो द्रोणो<5ब्रवीद् राजन्नेकलव्यमिदं वच: । यदि शिष्योडसि मे वीर वेतनं दीयतां मम
tato droṇo 'bravīd rājann ekalavyam idaṁ vacaḥ | yadi śiṣyo 'si me vīra vetanaṁ dīyatāṁ mama ||
随后德罗那对艾迦罗毗耶说道：“大王啊，请听此言：若你确是我的弟子，勇士啊，就当献与我师资之礼（guru-dakṣiṇā）。”在叙事中，这一要求被描绘为师者应得之分，然而也由此试探公正与权势的边界——权威如何迫人牺牲，虔诚又如何被迫以昂贵的奉献来证明自身。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the traditional obligation of guru-dakṣiṇā (a teacher’s due) and probes its ethical edge: devotion and discipleship can be tested through sacrifice, but such demands also raise questions about fairness, coercion, and the responsible use of authority.
Droṇa addresses Ekalavya and, invoking the claim that Ekalavya is his disciple, asks him to pay the teacher’s fee. This sets up the well-known episode in which Ekalavya’s loyalty is measured through a severe demand.