Shloka 49
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
छटद्मना च भवेत् सिद्धि: शत्रूणां च क्षयो महान् | तत्र संशयितादर्थाद् यो<र्थों निः:संशयो भवेत्
chaṭadmanā ca bhavet siddhiḥ śatrūṇāṃ ca kṣayo mahān | tatra saṃśayitād arthād yo 'rtho niḥsaṃśayo bhavet
Sañjaya berkata: “Dengan helah seperti itu, kejayaan memang boleh dicapai, dan kebinasaan besar atas musuh-musuh akan menyusul. Namun dalam hal itu, tujuan yang tadinya diragui akan—jika benar terlaksana—menjadi sesuatu yang tidak lagi diragukan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension between effectiveness and moral clarity: a deceitful stratagem can bring success and heavy enemy losses, but the legitimacy and certainty of the intended goal remain ethically and practically fraught—what was doubtful may be claimed as certain only after the fact.
In the opening of the Sauptika Parva, Sañjaya reflects on the prospects and implications of achieving victory through a covert or deceptive plan, weighing the possibility of success and enemy destruction against the uncertainty surrounding such an undertaking.