Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तांस्तु निष्पतितांस्त्रस्तानू शिबिराज्जीवितैषिण:
tāṁs tu niṣpatitāṁs trastān śibirāj jīvitaiṣiṇaḥ
قال سانجيا: غير أنّ أولئك الرجال، إذ اندفعوا خارج المعسكر في هلعٍ، يرتجفون ويائسين لا يبتغون إلا النجاة بأرواحهم، فرّوا مذعورين.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how violence and sudden terror reduce warriors to mere survival-seekers; in the collapse of order, fear overrides pride and duty, underscoring the ethical cost of ruthless warfare.
Sañjaya describes people in the camp who, struck by panic, rush out and flee—trembling and intent only on saving their lives—amid the chaos following the night attack in the Sauptika episode.