Shloka 35
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
वीक्षमाणो वनोद्देशं नानासत्त्वैर्निषेवितम् । अपश्यत महाबाहुर्न्यग्रोधं वायसैर्युतम्
vīkṣamāṇo vanoddeśaṃ nānāsattvair niṣevitam | apaśyata mahābāhur nyagrodhaṃ vāyasair yutam ||
เมื่ออัศวัตถามาผู้มีพาหุอันเกรียงไกรทอดสายตาสำรวจป่าซึ่งมีสัตว์นานาชนิดอาศัยอยู่ เขาแลเห็นต้นไทรต้นหนึ่งที่แน่นขนัดด้วยฝูงกา
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a natural image—crows massed on a banyan in a forest alive with many creatures—to foreshadow predatory, night-bound action. In the ethical frame of the Sauptika episode, such omens underscore how violence pursued in darkness and rage tends toward adharma, even when carried out by renowned warriors.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāmā moving through and observing a forest area. While scanning the surroundings, he spots a banyan tree filled with crows—an atmospheric detail that sets the scene and signals the grim events that will follow in the night.