Shloka 5
Aśvatthāmā’s Buddhi-Doctrine and Nocturnal Incursion Resolve (अश्वत्थाम्नः बुद्धिविचारः सौप्तिकसंकल्पश्च)
“सभी लोग अपने-आपको अधिक बुद्धिमान् समझते हैं। सबको अपनी ही बुद्धि अधिक महत्त्वपूर्ण जान पड़ती है और सब लोग अपनी ही बुद्धिकी प्रशंसा करते हैं ।।
sarvasya hi svakā prajñā sādhuvāde pratiṣṭhitā | parabuddhiṃ ca nindanti svāṃ praśaṃsanti cāsakṛt ||
サンジャヤは言った。「誰しも、自らの理解こそが称賛に値する高みに確固として据わっていると思う。人は他者の知を貶し、己の知を幾度も讃える——自負が、抑制と見極めを要する時でさえ判断を歪めることを示している。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a common ethical blind spot: people instinctively treat their own judgment as authoritative and praiseworthy, while dismissing others’ counsel. It warns that pride in one’s intellect can undermine fair evaluation and right conduct (dharma).
Sañjaya offers a reflective observation about human nature—how individuals cling to their own opinions and belittle others’—as part of the broader Sauptika Parva context, where decisions and justifications after the war are scrutinized through moral and psychological insight.