Shloka 35
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
वीक्षमाणो वनोद्देशं नानासत्त्वैर्निषेवितम् । अपश्यत महाबाहुर्न्यग्रोधं वायसैर्युतम्,नाना प्रकारके जीव-जन्तुओंसे सेवित वनस्थलीका निरीक्षण करते हुए महाबाहु अश्व॒ृत्थामाने कौओंसे भरे हुए वटवृक्षपर दृष्टिपात किया
vīkṣamāṇo vanoddeśaṃ nānāsattvair niṣevitam | apaśyata mahābāhur nyagrodhaṃ vāyasair yutam ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Habang sinusuri ni Aśvatthāmā, ang makapangyarihang mandirigmang may matitibay na bisig, ang isang bahagi ng gubat na dinadalaw ng sari-saring nilalang, napansin niya ang isang punong balete na siksik sa mga uwak. Sa masamang katahimikan matapos ang digmaan, ang tanawing ito’y tila tanda ng pangangaso at masamang pangitain; wari’y ang kalikasan mismo ang sumasalamin sa dilim ng dharma na malapit nang bumaba sa gabing iyon.
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.