Shloka 156

Devanagari script

अर्धरात्रि: समाजज्ञे निद्रान्धानां विशेषत: । वहाँ बाणोंकी चोट सहते और विशेषत: क्षत-विक्षत होते हुए निद्रान्ध सैनिकोंकी आधी रात बीत गयी

Transliteration

ardharātriḥ samājajñe nidrāndhānāṁ viśeṣataḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Au plus profond de minuit —l’heure où les hommes sont le moins vigilants— le temps s’écoula pour ces soldats, aveuglés par le sommeil, qui enduraient les coups des flèches et étaient cruellement meurtris.

Word by Word

अर्धरात्रिःmidnight; half of the night

समाजज्ञेpassed; went by

निद्रान्धानाम्of those blinded by sleep; of sleep-dazed (men)

विशेषतःespecially; particularly

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

soldiers (sleep-blinded)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral tension of warfare: when violence continues even against sleep-dazed, defenseless soldiers, it raises questions of restraint (dharma-yuddha) versus expediency, and shows how war erodes ordinary ethical boundaries.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the passage of midnight during a violent episode in which soldiers, overcome by sleep, are struck by arrows and become badly wounded—emphasizing the vulnerability of the camp at night and the brutality of the assault.