Shloka 58
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
अताडयच्छतानीकं मुक्तचक्रं द्विजस्तु सः । स विह्दलो ययौ भूमिं ततो5स्यापाहरच्छिर:,शतानीकने जब चक्र चला दिया, तब ब्राह्मण अश्वत्थामाने भी उसपर गहरा आघात किया। इससे व्याकुल होकर वह पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा। इतनेहीमें अश्वत्थामाने उसका सिर काट लिया
atāḍayac chatānīkaṃ muktacakraṃ dvijas tu saḥ | sa vidhvalo yayau bhūmiṃ tato ’syāpāharac chiraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: When Śatānīka’s discus slipped from his grasp, the Brahmin Aśvatthāman struck him hard. Reeling from the blow, Śatānīka fell to the ground; and then Aśvatthāman cut off his head.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the Sauptika episode, violence escalates beyond accepted wartime restraint: a fallen, disarmed opponent is struck and beheaded. It serves as a narrative warning about adharma in war—how rage and vengeance can eclipse duty and humane limits.
Sañjaya reports that Śatānīka loses control of his discus; Aśvatthāman, identified as a dvija (Brahmin), strikes him so that he collapses, and then Aśvatthāman cuts off his head.