Shloka 100
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
Devanagari script
विचेतस: सनिद्राश्न तमसा चावृता नरा:
Transliteration
vicetasaḥ sanidrāś ca tamasā cāvṛtā narāḥ
Translation
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—മനുഷ്യർ ബോധംകെട്ടവരെപ്പോലെ ആയിരുന്നു; മയക്കനിദ്രയിൽ, അന്ധകാരത്തിൽ പൊതിഞ്ഞവരായി നിന്നു.
Word by Word
विचेतसःbewildered, senseless
विचेतसः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootविचेतस्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
सनिद्राःsleepy, drowsy
सनिद्राः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसनिद्र
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
तमसाby darkness
तमसा:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootतमस्
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
आवृताःcovered, enveloped
आवृताः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootआ-वृ (वृञ् आवरणे)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural, Past passive participle (क्त)
नराःmen, people
नराः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootनर
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaN
narāḥ (men)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how tamas—darkness, inertia, and confusion—can overwhelm human discernment, making people vulnerable to harm and moral failure; it implicitly values vigilance and clarity of mind, especially in ethically charged situations like war.
In the Sauptika Parva’s night-time context, Sañjaya describes the condition of the men as confused and drowsy, covered by darkness—setting the scene for events where reduced awareness and night conditions shape what follows.