Shloka 9
कृपोपदेशः — द्रौणेरनिद्रा च
Kṛpa’s Counsel and Drauṇi’s Sleepless Resolve
ते वयं निशि विश्रान्ता विनिद्रा विगतज्वरा: । प्रभातायां रजन्यां वै निहनिष्याम शात्रवान्,अतः हमलोग रातमें विश्राम करके निद्रारहित और विगतज्वर हो प्रातःकाल अपने शत्रुओंका संहार करेंगे
te vayaṁ niśi viśrāntā vinidrā vigatajvarāḥ | prabhātāyāṁ rajanyāṁ vai nihaniṣyāma śātravān ||
Kṛpa said: “Let us rest tonight, remaining wakeful and free from agitation. Then, at the coming of dawn, we shall strike down the enemy host.” In context, the line frames a deliberate, calculated choice of timing in war—rest and readiness are presented as means to ensure effective violence against foes, highlighting the tension between strategic prudence and the moral weight of planned killing.
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores strategic discipline: rest and composure are prerequisites for decisive action. Ethically, it also foregrounds the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—clear-minded planning can serve destructive ends, forcing reflection on responsibility in warfare.
Kṛpa advises the group to pause for the night—resting yet staying alert—and to carry out the killing of enemies at daybreak, indicating a planned, time-sensitive assault within the Sauptika Parva’s night-raid atmosphere.