Shloka 32
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
तस्यैव दिवसस्यान्ते द्रौणिहार्दिक्यगौतमा: । प्रसुप्तं निशि विश्वस्तं जघ्नुर्याधिष्ठिरे बलम्,अठारहवाँ दिन बीत जानेपर रात्रिके समय अभश्व॒त्थामा, कृतवर्मा और कृपाचार्यने नि:शंक सोते हुए युधिष्ठिरके सैनिकोंको मार डाला
tasyaiva divasas yānte drauṇihārdikyagautamāḥ | prasuptaṃ niśi viśvastaṃ jaghnur yādhiṣṭhire balam ||
त्याच दिवसाच्या अखेरीस, रात्रीच्या वेळी, द्रौणि (अश्वत्थामा), हार्दिक्य (कृतवर्मा) आणि गौतम (कृपाचार्य) यांनी निर्धास्त झोपलेल्या युधिष्ठिराच्या सैन्याचा संहार केला.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can erode dharma: when anger and desperation dominate, even warriors may violate accepted norms by attacking the defenseless. It invites reflection on responsibility, restraint, and the ethical cost of victory pursued without limits.
After the day’s end, Aśvatthāmā, Kṛtavarmā, and Kṛpa carry out a nocturnal slaughter, killing Yudhiṣṭhira’s sleeping and unsuspecting troops—an act remembered as a grievous, morally fraught episode.