Shloka 36
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
तत्र काकसहस््राणि तां निशां पर्यणामयन् | सुखं स्वपन्ति कौरव्य पृथक् पृथगुपाश्रया:,कुरुनन्दन! उस वृक्षपर सहस्रों कौए रातमें बसेरा ले रहे थे। वे पृथक्ू-पृथक् घोंसलोंका आश्रय लेकर सुखकी नींद सो रहे थे
tatra kākasahasrāṇi tāṃ niśāṃ paryaṇāmayan | sukhaṃ svapanti kauravya pṛthak pṛthagupāśrayāḥ ||
サञ्जयは語った。そこでは幾千もの烏が、その夜をそれぞれの休み場に落ち着いて過ごしていた。おおクル族の末裔よ、各々が別々に自分の止まり木に身を寄せ、安らかに眠っていた—ありふれた生き物の平穏の姿であり、夜の暴虐に先立つ不吉な静けさと対照をなしていた。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse heightens ethical and narrative contrast: while ordinary beings sleep securely in the night, human agents are about to commit extraordinary violence. It underscores how adharma can erupt amid apparent calm, and how the natural world remains indifferent to human moral collapse.
Sanjaya describes the nighttime setting: thousands of crows have settled separately and are sleeping peacefully. This quiet scene functions as a prelude to the Sauptika Parva’s night events, where the stillness of the camp and the night becomes the stage for impending slaughter.