Shloka 26
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
इच्छया ते प्रवल्गन्ति ये सत्त्वा रात्रिचारिण: । दिवाचराश्ष ये सत्त्वास्ते निद्रावशमागता:
icchayā te pravalaganti ye sattvā rātricāriṇaḥ | divācarāś ca ye sattvās te nidrāvaśam āgatāḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : « Les créatures qui se meuvent la nuit se mirent à errer et à bondir selon leur gré ; et les êtres qui se meuvent le jour tombèrent sous l’empire du sommeil. » Dans l’après-guerre, ce vers marque le basculement moral et narratif vers l’obscurité : l’ordre habituel se renverse, et la nuit devient la scène de ce qui va suivre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how night alters the world’s moral and practical balance: the vigilant become vulnerable, and those suited to darkness gain freedom of movement. In the Sauptika context, this reversal foreshadows actions carried out when others are overcome by sleep, raising implicit ethical tension about deeds done under cover of night.
Sañjaya describes the onset of night: nocturnal beings become active and roam freely, while daytime creatures fall asleep. This sets the scene for the events of the Sauptika Parva, where the sleeping state of others becomes narratively significant.