Shloka 28
तस्मिन् रात्रिमुखे घोरे दु:ः:खशोकसमन्विता: । कृतवर्मा कृपो द्रौणिरुपोपविविशु: समम्
tasmin rātrimukhe ghore duḥkhaśokasamanvitāḥ | kṛtavarmā kṛpo drauṇir upopaviviśuḥ samam ||
સંજય બોલ્યા—તે ઘોર રાત્રિના આરંભે, દુઃખ અને શોકથી વ્યાકુળ કૃતવર્મા, કૃપ અને દ્રોણપુત્ર (અશ્વત્થામા) એકસાથે અંદર પ્રવેશ કરીને બેઠા।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the moral atmosphere preceding the Sauptika events: even victorious or surviving warriors are shown as inwardly afflicted by duḥkha and śoka. It hints that actions taken under the pressure of grief and rage can lead to ethically catastrophic choices, a recurring Mahābhārata warning about adharma arising from uncontrolled sorrow and vengeance.
At the fearful beginning of night, the three Kaurava-aligned survivors—Kṛtavarmā, Kṛpa, and Aśvatthāmā—come together and sit down, setting the stage for the decisions and actions that will unfold in the Sauptika Parva.