Shloka 1473
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
आचर्ख्यौ कर्म तत् सर्व हृष्ट: संहर्षयन् विभो । प्रभो! उस शिविरसे निकलकर शक्तिशाली अअभश्वत्थामा उन दोनोंसे मिला और स्वयं हर्षमग्न हो उन दोनोंका हर्ष बढ़ाते हुए उसने अपना किया हुआ सारा कर्म उनसे कह सुनाया
sañjaya uvāca |
ācakhyau karma tat sarvaṁ hṛṣṭaḥ saṁharṣayan vibho |
prabho! sa śivirāt niṣkramya śaktimān aśvatthāmā tau dvāv upāgamat |
svayaṁ harṣamagnaḥ san tayor harṣaṁ vardhayan kṛtaṁ karma sarvaṁ tābhyāṁ kathayām āsa ||
Sanjaya said: Rejoicing, he recounted the whole of what he had done, stirring up their excitement, O mighty one. Having come out of the camp, the powerful Ashvatthama met those two; himself elated, he heightened their joy and told them in full the deed he had carried out. The verse underscores how triumphal narration can inflame further violence and moral blindness in the aftermath of a grievous act.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how exultation over a violent deed and the act of boasting can intensify collective moral collapse. It implicitly warns that celebrating wrongdoing (karma) and inflaming others’ joy can normalize adharma and propel further harm.
After leaving the military camp, Ashvatthama meets his two allies (Kripa and Kritavarman in the Sauptika context). He is jubilant and, by narrating everything he has done, he increases their excitement—Sanjaya reports this to Dhritarashtra.