Shloka 246

Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout

Devanagari script

अबुध्यन्त महाराज स्त्रियो ये चास्य रक्षिण: । महाराज! उस समय मारे जाते हुए वीर धृष्टद्युम्नके आर्तनादसे उस शिविरकी स्त्रियाँ तथा सारे रक्षक जाग उठे

Transliteration

abudhyanta mahārāja striyo ye cāsya rakṣiṇaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: O großer König, in jenem Augenblick erwachten durch den Schmerzensschrei des sterbenden Helden Dṛṣṭadyumna die Frauen des Lagers und alle Wächter.

Word by Word

• अबुध्यन्त: awoke / became aware
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुध्
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, 3, Plural

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• ये: who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अस्य: of him / his
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• रक्षिणः: guards / protectors
• रक्षिणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• the camp (śibira, implied)
• women of the camp
• guards/sentries

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical shock of nocturnal slaughter: when violence is inflicted on the defenseless in sleep, it violates the expected restraints of warfare and forces even non-combatants (women, camp-guards) into traumatic awareness. It highlights how adharma in war spreads fear beyond the battlefield.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the night raid in the Sauptika Parva, Dhṛṣṭadyumna is being killed; his anguished cries awaken the women in the camp and the guards. This marks the moment the sleeping camp realizes the attack is underway.