Shloka 27
Aśvatthāmā’s Buddhi-Doctrine and Nocturnal Incursion Resolve (अश्वत्थाम्नः बुद्धिविचारः सौप्तिकसंकल्पश्च)
अवस्कन्दं करिष्यामि शिबिरस्याद्य दुष्करम् । 'रातमें सुस्थिर चित्तसे सोये हुए उन पांचालोंके अपने ही शिविरमें घुसकर मैं उन सबका संहार कर डालूँगा। समूचे शिविरका ऐसा विनाश करूँगा जो दूसरोंके लिये दुष्कर है।। तानवस्कन्द्य शिबिरे प्रेतभूतविचेतस:
sañjaya uvāca |
avaskandaṁ kariṣyāmi śibirasya adya duṣkaram |
rātrau su-sthira-cittena suptān pāñcālān sva eva śibire praviśya sarvān saṁhariṣyāmi |
samūcasya śibirasya evaṁ-vidhaṁ vināśaṁ kariṣyāmi yo 'nyaiḥ duṣkaraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Today I shall carry out a hard-to-accomplish raid upon the camp. Entering the Pāñcālas’ own encampment at night, when they lie asleep with minds at ease, I will slaughter them all. I will bring about such a destruction of the entire camp as would be difficult for others to achieve.” The verse frames a night assault as a calculated act of total annihilation, raising a stark ethical tension between martial prowess and the violation of accepted norms of fair combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral collapse that can follow unchecked vengeance: tactical success is pursued through a night massacre of sleeping foes, foregrounding the Mahābhārata’s recurring critique of actions that violate the spirit of dharma even when framed as heroic prowess.
In Sañjaya’s report, the plan is declared to infiltrate the Pāñcālas’ own camp at night and kill them while they sleep, aiming at a sweeping destruction of the encampment—an escalation that sets the tone for the Sauptika episode’s grim aftermath.