Shloka 108
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
वेपमानान् क्षितौ भीतान् नैव कांश्रचिदमुज्चताम् । नामुच्यत तयो: वक्षिन्निष्क्रान्त: शिबिराद् बहि:
vepamānān kṣitau bhītān naiva kāṁścid amuñcatām | nāmuñcyata tayoḥ vakṣi nīṣkrāntaḥ śibirād bahiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “They, trembling and terrified on the ground, did not let any of them go free. Nor did anyone escape from those two; having come out from the camp to the outside, they continued the slaughter without leaving survivors.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical collapse that accompanies vengeance-driven warfare: the terrified and helpless are shown no mercy, highlighting how adharma manifests when restraint and compassion are abandoned.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the attackers allowed no one to escape; even those trembling on the ground were not spared, and the killing continued outside the camp as well.