Shloka 21
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
गोब्राह्मणनृपस्त्रीषु सख्युर्मातुर्गुरोस्तथा,'गौ, ब्राह्मण, राजा, स्त्री, मित्र, माता, गुरु, दुर्बल, जड, अन्धे, सोये हुए, डरे हुए, मतवाले, उन्मत्त और असावधान पुरुषोंपर मनुष्य शस्त्र न चलाये
sañjaya uvāca | gobrāhmaṇanṛpastrīṣu sakhyur mātur guros tathā | durbale jaḍa-andhe ca suptabhīte madotkaṭe | unmatte cāpramatte ca na śastraṃ pātayet pumān ||
サञ्जयは言った。人は武器をもって牛、ブラーフマナ、王、女を打ってはならぬ。友、母、師にも刃を向けてはならぬ。また、力弱き者、愚鈍なる者、盲なる者、眠れる者や恐れに囚われた者、酔える者、狂える者、そして不注意なる者をも攻めてはならない。これは戦の暴力のただ中にあっても守るべきダルマの抑制であり、守護すべき者を定め、脆き時を利して踏みにじることを禁ずる。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in wartime, dharma imposes strict limits: one must not use weapons against protected persons (cow, brāhmaṇa, king, woman, friend, mother, teacher) or against those incapacitated or vulnerable (weak, dull, blind, asleep, frightened, intoxicated, deranged, heedless). The verse frames restraint as a moral boundary that prevents victory from becoming mere cruelty.
Sañjaya reports a normative rule about whom a warrior should not attack. In the Sauptika context—where night-raid violence and the killing of sleepers becomes central—this statement highlights the ethical tension between dharma-yuddha ideals and the adharma-like acts that occur in the episode.