Shloka 543
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
भिन्नयोधं बल॑ यच्च द्विधा युक्त च यद् भवेत् “जो सेना आधी रातके समय नींदमें अचेत पड़ी हो
bhinnayodhaṃ balaṃ yac ca dvidhā yuktaṃ ca yad bhavet
“Dẫu một đạo quân vào lúc nửa đêm nằm mê man trong giấc ngủ; dẫu tướng soái của nó đã bị diệt; dẫu hàng ngũ chiến binh đã sinh chia rẽ; dẫu nó rơi vào rối loạn và do dự—vẫn phải đánh kẻ thù.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys a ruthless tactical maxim: when the enemy is weakened—leaderless, divided, confused, or even asleep—one should exploit the advantage and attack. In the Sauptika context, it highlights the tension between victory-oriented strategy and the broader dharmic ideal of fair combat.
In Sauptika Parva, the aftermath of the great war leads into a night-time assault. Sañjaya’s report frames the logic used to justify striking an enemy force that is vulnerable—disorganized and even asleep—setting the ethical atmosphere for the events that follow.