Shloka 55

Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata

Lākṣāgṛha Planning

Devanagari script

एकलव्य उवाच कि प्रयच्छामि भगवन्नाज्ञापयतु मां गुरु:

Transliteration

ekalavya uvāca: kiṁ prayacchāmi bhagavan, ājñāpayatu māṁ guruḥ.

Translation

艾迦罗毗耶说：“尊者啊，我当奉献何物？愿师命我。”此刻，艾迦罗毗耶将自身置于师者权威之下，表明愿以弟子之责，奉上所求的一切。

Word by Word

• एकलव्यः: Ekalavya
• एकलव्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकलव्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), Third, Singular

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रयच्छामि: shall I give / do I give
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: Present, First, Singular

• भगवन्: O venerable one / O Lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• आज्ञापयतु: let (him/you) command / please आदेश करें
• Type: Verb
• Root: आज्ञा + णिच् (आज्ञापय-)
• Form: Imperative, Third, Singular

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Accusative, Singular

• गुरुः: the teacher
• गुरुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

एकलव्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Ekalavya
• Guru (the teacher, i.e., Droṇa in context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the disciple’s acceptance of the guru’s authority and the ethic of offering (dakṣiṇā) as a duty of learning—readiness to give without bargaining, trusting the teacher’s command.

What is happening in the narrative?

Ekalavya addresses the revered teacher and asks what he should give, explicitly inviting the guru to command him—setting up the request for guru-dakṣiṇā in the Ekalavya episode.