Shloka 24
हन्यमानमथात्मानं परेभ्यो बहवो जना: । नाभ्यजानन्त समरे निद्रया मोहिता भृूशम्,बहुत-से मनुष्य निद्रासे अत्यन्त मोहित हो जानेके कारण शत्रुओंकी ओरसे समरभूमिमें अपनेको जो मारनेकी चेष्टा होती थी, उसे समझ ही नहीं पाते थे
hanyamānam athātmānaṃ parebhyo bahavo janāḥ | nābhyajānanta samare nidrayā mohitā bhṛśam ||
Sañjaya said: Many men, their senses heavily clouded by sleep, failed to recognize on the battlefield that the enemy was attempting to strike them down; thus, even as they were being attacked, they did not properly perceive the danger. The verse underscores how negligence and delusion in war can make one oblivious to immediate moral and physical peril.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moha (bewilderment)—here caused by overpowering sleep—destroys discernment. In an ethical sense, it warns that negligence and loss of awareness can make a person fail to recognize imminent harm and duty, especially amid the moral chaos of war.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where many fighters, overcome by drowsiness, do not even realize that enemies are attacking them. Their impaired awareness makes them unable to respond appropriately to the threat.