अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
इच्छया ते प्रवल्गन्ति ये सत्त्वा रात्रिचारिण: । दिवाचराश्ष ये सत्त्वास्ते निद्रावशमागता:
icchayā te pravalaganti ye sattvā rātricāriṇaḥ | divācarāś ca ye sattvās te nidrāvaśam āgatāḥ ||
ສັນຈະຍະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ສັດທີ່ເຄື່ອນໄຫວຍາມຄືນ ເລີ່ມອອກທ່ອງທ່ຽວ ແລະໂດດຫຼິ້ນຕາມໃຈປາຖະໜາ; ສ່ວນສັດທີ່ເຄື່ອນໄຫວຍາມກາງວັນ ກໍຕົກຢູ່ໃຕ້ອໍານາດແຫ່ງການນອນ. ໃນຫຼັງສົງຄາມ ຖ້ອຍຄໍານີ້ຊີ້ໃຫ້ເຫັນການຫັນເຂົ້າສູ່ຄວາມມືດ—ເມື່ອລະບຽບປົກກະຕິຖືກກັບຄືນ ແລະຄືນກາຍເປັນເວທີຂອງສິ່ງທີ່ຈະຕາມມາ.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how night alters the world’s moral and practical balance: the vigilant become vulnerable, and those suited to darkness gain freedom of movement. In the Sauptika context, this reversal foreshadows actions carried out when others are overcome by sleep, raising implicit ethical tension about deeds done under cover of night.
Sañjaya describes the onset of night: nocturnal beings become active and roam freely, while daytime creatures fall asleep. This sets the scene for the events of the Sauptika Parva, where the sleeping state of others becomes narratively significant.