Shloka 116
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
पृष्ठच्छिन्नान् पार्श्वच्छिन्नान् शिरश्छिन्नांस्तथा परान्
pṛṣṭhacchinnān pārśvacchinnān śiraśchinnāṁs tathā parān
সঞ্জয় বললেন—কেউ পেছন দিক থেকে কাটা পড়ল, কেউ পাশ থেকে বিদ্ধ হয়ে লুটিয়ে পড়ল, আর অনেকেরই মস্তক দেহ থেকে বিচ্ছিন্ন করা হল।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys the moral horror of violence carried out without fair combat—attacks from behind and in the dark—suggesting a breakdown of dharma and the warrior code, and emphasizing the ethical cost of vengeance-driven warfare.
Sañjaya is describing the aftermath and manner of killings during the Sauptika episode: bodies are found cut down from behind, from the side, and beheaded—graphic markers of a sudden, ruthless assault rather than open battlefield engagement.