Shloka 11
न वध: पूज्यते लोके सुप्तानामिह धर्मत: । तथैवापास्तशस्त्राणां विमुक्तरथवाजिनाम्
na vadhaḥ pūjyate loke suptānām iha dharmataḥ | tathaivāpāstaśastrāṇāṃ vimuktarathavājinām ||
Kṛpa dit : «En ce monde, tuer ceux qui dorment n’est pas approuvé comme une conduite juste. De même, il n’est pas tenu pour conforme au dharma de frapper ceux qui ont déposé leurs armes et ceux dont les chars et les chevaux ont été relâchés (c’est-à-dire qui ne sont plus en état de combattre).»
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states a principle of dharma-yuddha: it is not righteous to kill those who are asleep or otherwise defenseless—specifically those who have set aside weapons and those who are no longer equipped for combat (their chariots/horses released).
In the Sauptika Parva context, Kṛpa voices a moral restraint regarding night-time or opportunistic slaughter, warning that attacking sleeping or disarmed opponents violates accepted norms of righteous warfare.