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
வஞ்சகத் தந்திரத்தால் வெற்றியும் கிடைக்கலாம்; பகைவர்க்கு பெரும் அழிவும் ஏற்படலாம். ஆனால் அந்தச் செயலில் சந்தேகமாக இருந்த நோக்கமே—உண்மையில் நிறைவேறினால்—சந்தேகமற்றதாக நிலைபெறும்।
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.