Shloka 23
सौप्तिकपर्व — धृष्टद्युम्नसारथिवृत्तान्तः
Report of the Night Raid and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament
इन्द्रोपमान् पार्थिवपुत्रपौत्रान् पश्याविशेषेण हतान् प्रमादात् । तीर्त्वा समुद्र वणिज: समृद्धा मग्ना: कुनद्यामिव हेलमाना:
indropamān pārthiva-putra-pautrān paśyāviśeṣeṇa hatān pramādāt | tīrtvā samudraṁ vaṇijaḥ samṛddhā magnāḥ kunadyām iva helamānāḥ ||
The Sūta said: “Beholding, without distinction, the sons and grandsons of kings—men like Indra in prowess—slain through heedlessness, one is reminded of prosperous merchants who, after crossing the ocean, still sink in a petty river, carelessly overconfident.”
सूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that pramāda (heedlessness) can destroy even the most powerful and accomplished. Great strength, lineage, or prior success does not protect one who becomes careless; ethical vigilance and disciplined awareness are essential, especially in times of danger.
In the aftermath of the night massacre in the Sauptika Parva, the narrator (Sūta) reflects on the sight of many royal heirs lying slain. He frames their fall as a tragic irony: like merchants who survive the vast ocean yet drown in a small river, these Indra-like princes perish due to negligence.