Shloka 20
स्वप्लायमानांस्त्वपरे परानतिविचेतस:,दूसरे सैनिक शत्रुओंको स्वप्नमें पड़कर अत्यन्त वेसुध हुए देख उन्हें मार बैठते थे। कुछ लोग उस महासमरमें निद्रान्ध होकर नाना प्रकारकी बातें कहते हुए कभी अपने-आपपर ही प्रहार कर बैठते थे, कभी अपने पक्षके ही लोगोंको मार डालते थे और कभी शत्रुओंका भी वध करते थे
svapnāyamānāṁs tv apare parān ativicetasaḥ | dvitīye sainikāḥ śatrūn svapne patitvāti-veśudhān dṛṣṭvā tān jaghnur iti | kecid asmin mahāsamare nidrāndhā nānāprakārāṇi vākyāni vadantaḥ kvacid ātmanā eva prahāraṁ cakruḥ, kvacid svapakṣīyān api jaghnuḥ, kvacid śatrūṇām api vadhaṁ cakruḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Others, their minds utterly unsteady, saw enemies as if fallen into a dreamlike stupor and struck them down. In that vast battle some, blinded by sleep, babbled incoherently—at times wounding themselves, at times killing men of their own side, and at times slaying the foe. The scene reveals how war’s chaos and exhaustion erode discernment, turning violence indiscriminate and morally perilous.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how exhaustion and mental disturbance in war destroy viveka (discernment), making violence indiscriminate—so even one’s own side and oneself can become targets. It implicitly warns that ethical conduct (dharma) depends on clarity of mind, which war’s frenzy and fatigue can shatter.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield at a moment of extreme confusion: some warriors, as if dreaming or half-asleep, attack whatever they perceive—sometimes enemies, sometimes allies, and sometimes themselves—while speaking incoherently amid the chaos.