Shloka 104

समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः

Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī

Devanagari script

विदुरस्य च वाक्येन सुरज्रोपक्रमक्रिया । निषाद्या: पज्चपुत्राया: सुप्ताया जतुवेश्मनि,फिर विदुरकी बात मानकर सुरंग खुदवानेका कार्य आरम्भ किया गया। उसी लाक्षागृहमें अपने पाँच पुत्रोंके साथ सोती हुई एक भीलनी और पुरोचन भी जल मरे--यह सब कथा कही गयी है। हिडिम्बवधपर्वमें घोर वनके मार्गसे यात्रा करते समय पाण्डवोंको हिडिम्बाके दर्शन, महाबली भीमसेनके द्वारा हिडिम्बासुरके वध तथा घटोत्कचके जन्मकी कथा कही गयी है

Transliteration

vidurasya ca vākyena suraṅgopakrama-kriyā | niṣādyāḥ pañca-putrāyāḥ suptāyā jatu-veśmani ||

Translation

遵从毗度罗之言，开凿秘密地道的工程遂告启动。在漆屋之中，一位尼沙陀族（林野之女）与其五子沉睡其内，竟与普罗阇那一同被焚而死——故事如此叙述。此段强调：谨慎与及时的警告能护持正直者脱险；然而诡计与政治暴力亦会牵连无辜，纵使逃脱成功，仍在其上投下难以抹去的伦理阴影。

Word by Word

विदुरस्यof Vidura

चand

वाक्येनby (his) words/speech

सुरज्रोपक्रमक्रियाthe undertaking/commencement of the tunnel-digging work

निषाद्याःof the Niṣādī (tribal woman)

पञ्चपुत्रायाःof (her) who had five sons

सुप्तायाःof (her) sleeping

जतुवेश्मनिin the lac-house

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

suraṅgā (secret tunnel)

jatu-veśman (lac house)

Niṣādī (forest-woman)

five sons of the Niṣādī

Purocana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Wise counsel (Vidura’s) and timely, discreet action can protect those aligned with dharma; however, the episode also highlights the moral cost of political conspiracies—innocents can suffer when adharma sets events in motion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Following Vidura’s warning, a secret tunnel is begun to enable escape from the lac house. Subsequently, in that lac house, Purocana and a sleeping Niṣāda woman with her five sons are burned, which becomes part of the narrated account surrounding the Pandavas’ escape from the plot.