Shloka 48
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
ततः सा भारती सेना वध्यमाना किरीटिना । तमसा निद्रया चैव पुनरेव व्यदीर्यत,उस समय किरीटधारी अर्जुनकी मार खाती हुई कौरवी-सेना अंधकार और निद्रासे पीड़ित हो पुनः: तितर-बितर हो गयी
tataḥ sā bhāratī senā vadhyamānā kirīṭinā | tamasā nidrayā caiva punar eva vyadīryata ||
Sañjaya said: Then that Kaurava host, being cut down by the diademed Arjuna, and overwhelmed by darkness and drowsiness, once again broke apart and scattered. The verse underscores how, in war, moral resolve and disciplined wakefulness are as decisive as weapons—when confusion and lethargy prevail, an army’s cohesion collapses.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that victory and survival in righteous conflict depend not only on strength but on clarity, vigilance, and cohesion; when darkness (confusion) and sleep (negligence) dominate, collective order collapses.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna is striking down the Kaurava forces; amid the night’s darkness and their drowsiness, the Kaurava army loses formation and scatters again.