Shloka 70
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
मद्वाक्यसमकालं तु शिरो<स्य विनिपात्यताम् | एकैकशो नियोक्ष्यामि तथा कुरुत पुत्रका:
mad-vākya-samakālaṃ tu śiro 'sya vinipātyatām | ekaikaśo niyokṣyāmi tathā kuruta putrakāḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：“待我一声令下，便当斩落其首，使之坠地。我将依次点名，令你们一人一人承担此事；孩子们，只须照我所示而行。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethics of obedience to authority: a leader issues a precise, time-bound command and insists on disciplined execution. It implicitly raises moral tension—how duty and compliance can be demanded even when the act involves severe violence—inviting reflection on responsibility, agency, and the limits of following orders.
The speaker (Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator) reports an instruction: upon receiving the command, the addressed ‘sons’ are to strike down ‘his’ head immediately. The speaker will appoint them one at a time to carry out the act, emphasizing orderly, sequential assignment and strict adherence to instructions.