Shloka 27
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
अध्यतिष्ठत तेजस्वी रथं प्राप्प सुदर्शनम् स तस्य भवनादू राजन् निष्क्रम्यानादयन् दिश:
adhyatiṣṭhat tejasvī rathaṃ prāpya sudarśanam | sa tasya bhavanād rājann niṣkramyānādayan diśaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The radiant warrior mounted his splendid, fair-seeming chariot. Then, O King, coming out from that residence, he set forth, steering his course toward the quarters, with grim purpose as the night’s work of war was about to unfold.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights decisive action powered by tejas (martial energy), while the surrounding Sauptika narrative frames such energy within the ethical darkness of nocturnal violence—suggesting that prowess and resolve, when yoked to adharma, lead toward grievous consequences.
Sañjaya reports that the warrior mounts a splendid chariot and departs from a residence, setting out toward the directions—marking a transition into movement and impending action in the night-time events of the Sauptika Parva.