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 ||
ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: ມະນຸດບໍ່ຄວນຟັນຟາດດ້ວຍອາວຸດໃສ່ ງົວ, ພຣາຫມັນ, ກະສັດ, ຫຼື ແມ່ຍິງ; ທັງບໍ່ຄວນໂຈມຕີມິດ, ແມ່, ຫຼື ຄູອາຈານ. ເຊັ່ນດຽວກັນ ບໍ່ຄວນທຳຮ້າຍຜູ້ອ່ອນແອ, ຜູ້ທຶບ, ຜູ້ຕາບອດ, ຜູ້ກຳລັງນອນ ຫຼື ຜູ້ຕົກໃຈ, ຜູ້ເມົາ, ຜູ້ວິການ, ຫຼື ຜູ້ປະມາດ. ນີ້ແມ່ນຂໍ້ຂັດຂວາງແຫ່ງທຳມະ ແມ່ນແຕ່ທ່າມກາງສົງຄາມ ເພື່ອກຳນົດຜູ້ທີ່ຕ້ອງຖືກປົກປ້ອງ ແລະບໍ່ໃຫ້ອາໄສຄວາມອ່ອນໄຫວຂອງເຂົາເປັນໂອກາດ.
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.