Shloka 27

Devanagari script

सुप्तं वाथ प्रमत्तं वा यथा हन्याद्‌ विषेण वा

Transliteration

suptaṁ vātha pramattaṁ vā yathā hanyād viṣeṇa vā

Translation

サञ्जयは言った。「眠っている者、あるいは不注意な者を討ち取るように—さらには毒で滅ぼすように—そのような殺し方も語られる。」それは、武人の掟たる正々堂々の戦いに背く、非難されるべき卑劣な闇討ちを示唆している。

Word by Word

• सुप्तम्: one who is asleep / sleeping
• सुप्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुप्त (√स्वप्)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• अथ: or else / then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• प्रमत्तम्: one who is careless / intoxicated / inattentive
• प्रमत्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रमत्त (√मद्)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• यथा: as / just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• हन्यात्: should kill / might kill
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• विषेण: with poison
• विषेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• poison (viṣa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that killing someone who is asleep or inattentive—especially by covert means like poison—is ethically blameworthy in the Mahābhārata’s war-ethics framework, contrasting stealthy harm with righteous, face-to-face combat.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, uses a comparison: slaying an unguarded person (asleep or careless) or poisoning him exemplifies an underhanded method of killing, invoked to judge or characterize conduct in the unfolding battle context.