Shloka 22
आतुरस्य कुतो निद्रा नरस्यामर्षितस्य च । अर्थाश्विन्तयतश्चापि कामयानस्य वा पुनः । तदिदं समनुप्राप्तं पश्य मेउद्य चतुष्टयम्,“मामाजी! जो मनुष्य शोकसे आतुर हो, अमर्षसे भरा हुआ हो, नाना प्रकारके कार्योंकी चिन्ता कर रहा हो अथवा किसी कामनामें आसक्त हो, उसे नींद कैसे आ सकती है? देखिये, ये चारों बातें आज मेरे ऊपर एक साथ आ पड़ी हैं
āturasya kuto nidrā narasyāmarṣitasya ca | arthāś cintayataś cāpi kāmayānasya vā punaḥ | tad idaṃ samanuprāptaṃ paśya me 'dya catuṣṭayam ||
How could sleep come to a man who is distressed by grief, or burning with resentment, or preoccupied with thoughts of many urgent tasks, or again enslaved by desire? Look—today all four of these have fallen upon me at once.
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner disturbances—grief, resentment, anxious deliberation over duties, and desire—destroy mental peace and make rest impossible. Ethically, it implies that unchecked passions and agitation cloud judgment, especially in wartime, and that composure is necessary for right action.
In the Sauptika Parva’s tense aftermath of battle, Kṛpa speaks of his sleeplessness. He explains that multiple pressures—sorrow, anger, pressing concerns, and desire—have converged on him simultaneously, reflecting the charged, unstable mood surrounding the night’s events.