Shloka 49

Devanagari script

एवमेव महाबाहो धर्मेषु परितिष्ठता । स्वप्तव्यं क्षत्रियेणाजी शरतल्पगतेन वै

Transliteration

evam eva mahābāho dharmeṣu paritiṣṭhatā | svaptavyaṃ kṣatriyeṇājau śaratalpagateṇa vai ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Just so, O mighty-armed one—standing firm in dharma—a kṣatriya must accept sleep even on the battlefield, indeed even when lying upon a bed of arrows.”

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this manner

एवindeed, just

महाबाहोO mighty-armed one

धर्मेषुin duties, in dharmas

परितिष्ठताwhile (he) stands firm / abides

स्वप्तव्यम्is to be slept (one should sleep)

क्षत्रियेणby a kshatriya

आजीin battle

शरतल्पगतेनby one who has gone to the bed of arrows

वैindeed, surely

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

kṣatriya

battlefield (āja)

bed of arrows (śaratalpa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores kṣatriya-dharma: steadfast adherence to duty even amid extreme suffering. Even on the battlefield—and even when reduced to the harshest condition symbolized by a ‘bed of arrows’—a warrior must maintain composure and accept necessary rest without abandoning dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya continues his report to the king, framing the warrior’s conduct in terms of dharma. The imagery of ‘sleeping on a bed of arrows’ evokes the Bhīṣma episode and functions as a stark emblem of endurance and disciplined acceptance within the ethics of battle.