Shloka 54
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
प्रस्थाने वा प्रवेशे वा प्रहर्तव्यं रिपोर्बलम् । 'शत्रुओंकी सेना यदि बहुत थक गयी हो, तितर-बितर हो गयी हो, भोजन कर रही हो, कहीं जा रही हो अथवा किसी स्थानविशेषमें प्रवेश कर रही हो तो भी विपक्षियोंको उसपर प्रहार करना ही चाहिये ।। ५३ ई || निद्रार्तमर्धरात्रे च तथा नष्टप्रणायकम्
prasthāne vā praveśe vā prahartavyaṃ ripor balam | nidrārtam ardharātre ca tathā naṣṭa-praṇāyakam ||
Sañjaya said: “Whether the enemy’s forces are setting out or entering a place, they should be struck. Likewise, when they are overcome by sleep in the middle of the night, and when they are leaderless and disordered, they are to be attacked.” In the grim ethic of war being voiced here, victory is pursued by exploiting moments of vulnerability—an outlook that foreshadows the night-raid and raises sharp questions about the limits of kṣatriya conduct.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse articulates a hard-edged wartime maxim: strike the enemy when they are vulnerable—during movement, entry, midnight sleep, or when leaderless. It highlights the tension between strategic expediency and the moral boundaries of righteous warfare (dharma-yuddha).
In Sauptika Parva, Sañjaya reports counsel that justifies attacking an enemy force even at moments of fatigue, confusion, or sleep—language that anticipates the nocturnal assault central to this parva’s events.