Shloka 6
Sudeva Identifies Damayantī in Cedi (सुदेवेन दमयन्ती-परिचयः)
अथार्धरात्रसमये नि:शब्दस्तिमिते तदा । सुप्ते सार्थे परिश्रान्ते हस्तियूथमुपागमत्,तत्पश्चात् आधी रातके समय जब कहींसे भी कोई शब्द सुनायी नहीं देता था और उस दलके सभी लोग थककर सो गये थे, उस समय गजराजोंके मदकी धारासे मलिन जलवाली पहाड़ी नदीमें पानी पीनेके लिये (जंगली) हाथियोंका एक झुंड आ निकला। उस झुंडने व्यापारियोंके सोये हुए दलको और उसके साथ आये हुए बहुत-से हाथियोंको भी देखा
athārdharātrasamaye niḥśabdastimite tadā | supte sārthe pariśrānte hastiyūtham upāgamat ||
Then, at the time of midnight—when everything was silent and still—after the caravan had fallen asleep, exhausted, a herd of elephants came up. They had come to drink at a mountain river whose waters were muddied by the streaming ichor of the great tuskers; and the herd noticed the merchants’ sleeping company, along with many elephants that had come with it.
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how fatigue and inattentiveness (pramāda) make even an organized group vulnerable; in the wilderness, one must balance rest with prudent vigilance, since natural forces and animals act without malice yet can cause great harm.
At midnight, when the merchant caravan is asleep and the surroundings are silent, a herd of wild elephants arrives at a nearby mountain river to drink; the herd observes the sleeping merchants and the elephants traveling with them, setting up an impending encounter.