Shloka 36
Aśvatthāmā’s Buddhi-Doctrine and Nocturnal Incursion Resolve (अश्वत्थाम्नः बुद्धिविचारः सौप्तिकसंकल्पश्च)
अद्य पाज्चालसेनां तां निहत्य निशि सौप्तिके । कृतकृत्य: सुखी चैव भविष्यामि महामते
adya pāñcālaseṇāṁ tāṁ nihatya niśi sauptike | kṛtakṛtyaḥ sukhī caiva bhaviṣyāmi mahāmate ||
Sañjaya dijo: «Esta noche, en esta matanza nocturna de los que duermen, después de dar muerte a aquel ejército de los Pāñcāla, sentiré cumplido mi propósito y viviré en sosiego, oh sabio».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral inversion that war can produce: the speaker frames the killing of sleeping foes as a means to personal satisfaction and peace. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical horizon, such ‘ease’ gained through adharma-laden violence is unstable and invites further suffering, underscoring the text’s critique of revenge and unscrupulous warfare.
Sañjaya reports the intent and mindset surrounding the Sauptika episode: a nocturnal assault in which the Pāñcāla forces are targeted while asleep. The line conveys the aggressor’s expectation that eliminating the Pāñcāla host will complete his objective and bring him relief.