Shloka 23
सौप्तिकपर्व — धृष्टद्युम्नसारथिवृत्तान्तः
Report of the Night Raid and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament
इन्द्रोपमान् पार्थिवपुत्रपौत्रान् पश्याविशेषेण हतान् प्रमादात् । तीर्त्वा समुद्र वणिज: समृद्धा मग्ना: कुनद्यामिव हेलमाना:
indropamān pārthiva-putra-pautrān paśyāviśeṣeṇa hatān pramādāt | tīrtvā samudraṁ vaṇijaḥ samṛddhā magnāḥ kunadyām iva helamānāḥ ||
苏多说道：“目睹诸王之子与孙——勇力堪比因陀罗者——竟不分彼此地因疏忽而被杀，便令人想起那些富足的商人：既已渡过大海，却仍在一条小河里沉没，只因轻慢自恃、掉以轻心。”
सूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that pramāda (heedlessness) can destroy even the most powerful and accomplished. Great strength, lineage, or prior success does not protect one who becomes careless; ethical vigilance and disciplined awareness are essential, especially in times of danger.
In the aftermath of the night massacre in the Sauptika Parva, the narrator (Sūta) reflects on the sight of many royal heirs lying slain. He frames their fall as a tragic irony: like merchants who survive the vast ocean yet drown in a small river, these Indra-like princes perish due to negligence.