Shloka 19

Devanagari script

निद्रान्धा नो बुबुधिरे काज्चिच्चेष्टां नराधिप

Transliteration

nidrāndhā no bubudhire kāścic ceṣṭāṁ narādhipa

Translation

قال سنجيا: يا أيها الملك، لقد أعماهم النوم فلم يستيقظ رجالنا على أي حركةٍ كانت؛ فمرّ الخطر دون أن يُنتبه له، ولم تقع استجابة في أوانها.

Word by Word

निद्रान्धाःsleep-blinded, stupefied by sleep

नःof us / our

बुबुधिरेthey perceived, they became aware

काञ्चित्any (some) (f.)

चेष्टाम्movement, activity, action

नराधिपO king (lord of men)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address narādhipa)

Kauravas (implied by naḥ, 'our men')

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?

The verse highlights the ethical and practical necessity of vigilance: when leaders and troops lapse into negligence (here, sleep-induced unawareness), even small signs of danger are missed, leading to preventable harm. In a broader dharmic sense, it warns against pramāda (carelessness) as a root of downfall.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that their side, overcome by sleep, failed to notice any stir or movement. The line sets up how an event in the night (or an unexpected action) could proceed without immediate detection or resistance.