Shloka 159
सोमका मत्स्यशेषाश्न सर्वे विनिहता मया । 'सारे पांचाल, द्रौपदीके सभी पुत्र, सोमकवंशी क्षत्रिय तथा मत्स्य देशके अवशिष्ट सैनिक ये सभी मेरे हाथसे मारे गये || १५८ ई ।। इदानीं कृतकृत्या: सम याम तत्रैव मा चिरम् | यदि जीवति नो राजा तस्मै शंसमहे वयम्,“इस समय हम कृतकृत्य हो गये। अब हमें शीघ्र वहीं चलना चाहिये। यदि हमारे राजा दुर्योधन जीवित हों तो हम उन्हें भी यह समाचार कह सुनावें"
somakā matsyaśeṣāś ca sarve vinihatā mayā | idānīṁ kṛtakṛtyāḥ sma yāma tatraiva mā ciram | yadi jīvati no rājā tasmai śaṁsamaha vayam ||
Sañjaya said: “The Somakas and the remaining warriors of the Matsya land—all have been slain by me. Now we have accomplished our task; let us go back there at once, without delay. If our king is still alive, we shall report this news to him.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim moral atmosphere of Sauptika: a sense of ‘mission accomplished’ after mass killing, coupled with loyalty to one’s leader. It implicitly contrasts martial loyalty and success with the ethical darkness of slaughtering exhausted or unsuspecting foes, underscoring how victory-talk can mask adharma.
A warrior (in the Sauptika context, the night-raiders’ side) reports that Somakas and the remaining Matsya fighters have been killed. The group then decides to return quickly and, if Duryodhana is still alive, inform him of the outcome.