Shloka 122
केचिदूचुर्न तत् क्लुद्धैर्धार्तराष्ट्र: कृतं रणे । यत् कृतं नः प्रसुप्तानां रक्षोभि: क्रूरकर्मभि:
kecid ūcur na tat kluddhair dhārtarāṣṭraiḥ kṛtaṃ raṇe | yat kṛtaṃ naḥ prasuptānāṃ rakṣobhiḥ krūrakarmabhiḥ ||
Disse Sañjaya: Alguns declaravam: “Esse feito não foi praticado em combate justo pelos irados filhos de Dhṛtarāṣṭra. O que nos fizeram enquanto dormíamos foi obra de rākṣasas de atos cruéis.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical boundary in dharma-yuddha: killing opponents while they are asleep is condemned as outside legitimate combat, so blame is cast in moral terms—calling the act ‘rakshasa-like’ to mark it as adharma.
After the nocturnal slaughter in the camp, some survivors protest that the Kauravas did not defeat them in open battle; rather, they were attacked while asleep, and the perpetrators are denounced as cruel, demon-like agents.