Shloka 33
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
क्रोधामर्षवशं प्राप्तो द्रोणपुत्रस्तु भारत | न वै सम स जगामाथ निद्रां सर्प इव श्वसन्
krodhāmarṣavaśaṃ prāpto droṇaputrastu bhārata | na vai saṃ sa jagāmātha nidrāṃ sarpa iva śvasan ||
Sañjaya said: Overpowered by anger and wounded pride, Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāmā), O Bhārata, could not at all attain sleep. Like a serpent, he lay there breathing long, heated breaths—his mind agitated by the sight of the two warriors lying on the bare earth, exhausted and grief-stricken despite the presence of costly beds and comforts.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unrestrained anger (krodha) and wounded pride (amarṣa) disturb inner peace and cloud discernment, becoming the psychological seed of adharmic action. The verse highlights how a mind seized by resentment cannot rest and is prone to destructive choices.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāmā after seeing the exhausted warriors lying on the ground despite available luxuries. He becomes dominated by rage and humiliation and cannot sleep, breathing like a serpent—an ominous setup for the violent events of the Sauptika Parva.