Shloka 11

Devanagari script

न वध: पूज्यते लोके सुप्तानामिह धर्मत: । तथैवापास्तशस्त्राणां विमुक्तरथवाजिनाम्‌,जो सोये हुए हों, जिन्होंने अस्त्र-शस्त्र रख दिये हों, रथ और घोड़े खोल दिये हों, “जो मैं आपका ही हूँ' ऐसा कह रहे हों, जो शरणमें आ गये हों, जिनके बाल खुले हुए हों तथा जिनके वाहन नष्ट हो गये हों, इस लोकमें ऐसे लोगोंका वध करना धर्मकी दृष्टिसे अच्छा नहीं समझा जाता

Transliteration

na vadhaḥ pūjyate loke suptānām iha dharmataḥ | tathaivāpāstaśastrāṇāṃ vimuktarathavājinām ||

Translation

Kripa said: “In this world, the killing of those who are asleep is not approved as righteous conduct. Likewise, it is not considered dharmic to slay those who have laid aside their weapons and those whose chariots and horses have been released (i.e., who are no longer in fighting condition).”

Word by Word

नnot

वधःkilling, slaying

पूज्यतेis approved/esteemed

लोकेin the world

सुप्तानाम्of (those) asleep

इहhere

धर्मतःaccording to dharma, as a matter of righteousness

तथाlikewise, similarly

एवindeed, just

अपास्त-शस्त्राणाम्of those who have laid aside weapons

विमुक्त-रथ-वाजिनाम्of those whose chariots and horses have been released/unyoked

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kṛpa (speaker)

weapons (śastra)

chariot (ratha)

horses (vājin)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse states a principle of dharma-yuddha: it is not righteous to kill those who are asleep or otherwise defenseless—specifically those who have set aside weapons and those who are no longer equipped for combat (their chariots/horses released).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sauptika Parva context, Kṛpa voices a moral restraint regarding night-time or opportunistic slaughter, warning that attacking sleeping or disarmed opponents violates accepted norms of righteous warfare.