Shloka 18
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
ते मुहूर्त तु विश्रम्य लब्धतोयै्हयोत्तमै: । सूर्यास्तमनवेलायां समासेदुर्महद् वनम्
te muhūrtaṁ tu viśramya labdha-toyaiḥ hayottamaiḥ | sūryāstam-anavelāyāṁ samāsedur mahad vanam ||
三阇耶说道：“他们稍作歇息，给良马饮水；至日落时分，便抵达一片大森林。那是一处荒野，群鹿百鸟栖息其间，诸树藤蔓繁密丛生，又有多种蛇类出没往来。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily narrative rather than doctrinal: it highlights the transition into night and an ominous natural setting. In the ethical frame of the Sauptika episode, the calm act of resting and watering horses contrasts with the violence that follows, underscoring how ordinary actions can precede grave adharma when intention turns toward cruelty.
After a brief halt to rest and water their horses, the party arrives at a vast forest by sunset. The forest is described as teeming with animals and birds, overgrown with trees and creepers, and inhabited by many serpents—setting the scene and mood for the events that unfold in the Sauptika Parva.