ततस्ते योधमुख्याश्च॒ सहसा पर्यवारयन्
tataste yodhamukhyāś ca sahasā paryavārayan
Then those foremost warriors, acting all at once, swiftly surrounded him.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how, in the momentum of war—especially in the Sauptika context—collective martial impulse can rapidly escalate into overwhelming force, raising ethical tension between strategic success and the erosion of restraint (dharma) in combat.
Sañjaya reports that the leading warriors suddenly move together and surround the targeted figure, tightening the situation into an inescapable encirclement as the night-time conflict intensifies.