Shloka 23
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
तेडवतीर्य रथेभ्यश्व विप्रमुच्य च वाजिन: । उपस्पृश्य यथान्यायं संध्यामन्वासत प्रभो,प्रभो! वहाँ रथोंसे उतरकर उन तीनोंने अपने घोड़ोंको खोल दिया और यथोचितरूपसे स्नान आदि करके संध्योपासना की
te ’vatīrya rathebhyaś ca aśvān vipramucya ca vājinaḥ | upaspṛśya yathānyāyaṃ sandhyām anvāsata prabho ||
Sañjaya said: Then, having dismounted from their chariots and unharnessed the horses, those warriors performed the prescribed rites of purification (such as washing) and duly observed the twilight worship. Even amid the violence of war, they pause to follow customary discipline, showing how ritual order and self-restraint are maintained alongside martial intent.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights adherence to prescribed conduct (ācāra) and ritual discipline even in extreme circumstances. It suggests that warriors may still maintain outward markers of dharma—purification and Sandhyā worship—before proceeding with further action, underscoring the tension between ritual order and impending violence.
After arriving, the group dismounts from their chariots, unharnesses the horses, performs water-based purification as required, and then carries out the Sandhyā (twilight) worship. This sets a transitional moment before the events that unfold in the Sauptika episode.