Shloka 21
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
गोब्राह्मणनृपस्त्रीषु सख्युर्मातुर्गुरोस्तथा,'गौ, ब्राह्मण, राजा, स्त्री, मित्र, माता, गुरु, दुर्बल, जड, अन्धे, सोये हुए, डरे हुए, मतवाले, उन्मत्त और असावधान पुरुषोंपर मनुष्य शस्त्र न चलाये
sañjaya uvāca | gobrāhmaṇanṛpastrīṣu sakhyur mātur guros tathā | durbale jaḍa-andhe ca suptabhīte madotkaṭe | unmatte cāpramatte ca na śastraṃ pātayet pumān ||
Sañjaya dit : Un homme ne doit pas frapper d’armes les vaches, les brāhmaṇas, les rois ni les femmes ; ni son ami, ni sa mère, ni son maître. De même, qu’il n’attaque pas les faibles, les simples d’esprit, les aveugles, ceux qui dorment ou sont saisis de peur, les ivres, les déments, ni les inattentifs. Telle est une retenue du dharma jusque dans la fureur de la guerre : elle désigne ceux qu’il faut protéger et ceux dont on ne doit pas profiter lorsqu’ils sont vulnérables.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in wartime, dharma imposes strict limits: one must not use weapons against protected persons (cow, brāhmaṇa, king, woman, friend, mother, teacher) or against those incapacitated or vulnerable (weak, dull, blind, asleep, frightened, intoxicated, deranged, heedless). The verse frames restraint as a moral boundary that prevents victory from becoming mere cruelty.
Sañjaya reports a normative rule about whom a warrior should not attack. In the Sauptika context—where night-raid violence and the killing of sleepers becomes central—this statement highlights the ethical tension between dharma-yuddha ideals and the adharma-like acts that occur in the episode.