ज्ञात्वा तु तान् सुविश्वस्ताञ् शयानान् अकुतोभयान् ॥
अग्निस् ततस् त्वया देयो द्वारतस् तस्य वेश्मनः ॥
दग्धान् एवं स्वके गेहे दग्धा इति ततो जनाः ॥
ज्ञातयो वा वदिष्यन्ति पाण्डवार्थाय कर्हि चित् ॥
तत् तथेति प्रतिज्ञाय कौरवाय पुरोचनः ॥
प्रायाद् रासभयुक्तेन नगरं वारणावतम् ॥
स गत्वा त्वरितो राजन् दुर्योधनमते स्थितः ॥
यथोक्तं राजपुत्रेण सर्वं चक्रे पुरोचनः ॥
jñātvā tu tān suviśvastāñ śayānān akutobhayān ||
agnis tatas tvayā deyo dvāratas tasya veśmanaḥ ||
dagdhān evaṃ svake gehe dagdhā iti tato janāḥ ||
jñātayo vā vadiṣyanti pāṇḍavārthāya karhi cit ||
tat tatheti pratijñāya kauravāya purocanaḥ ||
prāyād rāsabhayuktena nagaraṃ vāraṇāvatam ||
sa gatvā tvarito rājan duryodhanamate sthitaḥ ||
yathoktaṃ rājaputreṇa sarvaṃ cakre purocanaḥ ||
"Knowing them to be fully trusting, asleep, and fearing nothing, then set fire from the door of that house; and of those thus burned in their own house, people — or their kinsmen — will say only, 'They burned [by misfortune],' without blaming us." Vaishampayana said: "Having promised the Kaurava, 'So be it,' Purochana set out on a chariot yoked with donkeys for the city of Varanavata; and having gone there in haste, O king, and holding fast to Duryodhana's will, Purochana carried out everything just as the prince had said."
0420b7adf815 · publicado 12 jul 2026, 17:03:08 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
Here the crime reveals the full depth of its baseness: to kill the sleeping and the trusting, and to conceal the murder as a mere accident. It is telling that Duryodhana counts on going unpunished — "they will say: they burned, without blaming us": evil fears not sin but exposure, and so seeks a way to hide its own crime. Here is a complete darkening of conscience: only the fear of human judgment remains, while the fear of dharma and of God is absent. Telling too is Purochana's obedience: evil's hireling carries out everything without flinching — a mere instrument in the villain's hands. But behind this looms what is to come: by providence this same fire will consume Purochana himself, while the Pandavas will be saved — for schemes against those protected by dharma turn back upon the heads of the schemers. Thus scripture, in concluding this commission, also prepares the visible triumph of the law of karma: the pit dug for others will swallow the one who dug it.