Shloka 51
अध्याय ९ — दुर्योधनस्य अन्त्यावस्था, विलापः, तथा सौप्तिक-प्रतिवृत्तम्
Duryodhana’s Final Condition, Lamentation, and the Night’s Report
कृते प्रतिकृतं पश्य हतपुत्रा हि पाण्डवा: । सौप्तिके शिबिरं तेषां हतं सनरवाहनम्
kṛte pratikṛtaṃ paśya hataputrā hi pāṇḍavāḥ | sauptike śibiraṃ teṣāṃ hataṃ sanaravāhanam ||
قال سانجيا: «انظر، أيها الملك، كيف جوزي الفعل بمثله. لقد صار الباندافا أيضًا ثكالى بأبنائهم. ففي الغارة الليلية، وهم نيام، دُمّر معسكرهم كله—بمن فيه من الرجال ومع دوابّهم.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the event as pratikṛta—an act ‘repaid’—highlighting the moral tension between retribution and dharma. Even when presented as a response to prior violence, the slaughter of sleeping, unarmed people underscores how vengeance can slide into adharma and multiply suffering.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the Pāṇḍavas’ side has suffered a devastating reversal: their sons have been killed, and their camp has been annihilated in a nocturnal attack while the warriors slept, with men and mounts/vehicles destroyed together.