Shloka 125
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
न च सुप्तं प्रमत्तं वा न्यस्तशस्त्रं कृताउ्जलिम् | धावन्तं मुक्तकेशं वा हन्ति पार्थो धनंजय:
na ca suptaṁ pramattaṁ vā nyastaśastraṁ kṛtāñjalim | dhāvantaṁ muktakeśaṁ vā hanti pārtho dhanañjayaḥ ||
サञ्जयは語った。アルジュナ――パールタ、ダナञ्जヤ、クンティーの子――は、眠っている者や不注意な者、武器を捨てた者、合掌して赦しを乞う者、逃げる者、あるいは髪をほどいて無力を示す者を、決して討たない。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in warfare, dharma imposes limits: a righteous warrior should not kill those who are defenseless—sleeping, careless, unarmed, supplicating with folded hands, fleeing, or visibly surrendering. Arjuna is presented as embodying this restraint.
In the Sauptika Parva context—where night-time slaughter and attacks on the unsuspecting are central—Sañjaya highlights Arjuna’s established conduct in battle, contrasting his standards with acts that violate the accepted code of combat.