Shloka 25
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
ग्रहनक्षत्रताराभि: सम्पूर्णाभिरलंकृतम् नभों5शुकमिवाभाति प्रेक्षणीयं समन्तत:,सम्पूर्ण ग्रहों, नक्षत्रों और ताराओंसे अलंकृत हुआ आकाश जरीकी साड़ीके समान सब ओरसे देखनेयोग्य प्रतीत होता था
grahanakṣatratārābhiḥ sampūrṇābhir alaṅkṛtam nabho'śukam ivābhāti prekṣaṇīyaṃ samantataḥ
Sañjaya said: The sky, adorned on every side with a full array of planets, constellations, and stars, shone like a richly embroidered garment—beautiful, and worthy to be gazed upon in every direction. In the grim aftermath of war, that serene, ornamented night-sky stands in poignant contrast to the violence soon to unfold, as though nature remains in order while human conduct has fallen into adharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a contrast: the cosmos appears complete and beautifully ordered, while human actions in the Sauptika episode move toward cruelty and adharma. It implicitly invites reflection on aligning human conduct with the harmony and restraint suggested by the natural order.
Sañjaya is narrating the scene to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describing the night sky as brilliantly filled with planets, constellations, and stars. This calm, luminous setting frames the tense moments leading into the nocturnal events of the Sauptika Parva.