Shloka 346
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
अपश्यच्छयने सुप्तमुत्तमौजसमन्तिके । इस प्रकार धृष्टद्युम्म और उसके सेवकोंका वध करके अभश्व॒त्थामाने निकटके ही खेमेमें पलंगपर सोये हुए उत्तमौजाको देखा
apaśyac chayane suptam uttamaujasaṃ antike |
Sañjaya dijo: Tras dar muerte a Dhṛṣṭadyumna y a sus servidores, Aśvatthāmā vio a Uttamaujā dormido en un lecho, en una tienda cercana. La escena revela el derrumbe moral de la incursión nocturna: el guerrero no es hallado en combate abierto, sino indefenso en el sueño, y la victoria se trueca en matanza, no en duelo conforme al dharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical inversion of warfare when violence targets the unarmed and sleeping. It frames the night-raid as a departure from kṣatriya-dharma, where combat is ideally between alert, armed opponents, making the act morally weighty even if militarily effective.
After killing Dhṛṣṭadyumna and others during the nocturnal assault, Aśvatthāmā moves through the camp and notices Uttamaujā asleep on a bed in a nearby tent, setting up the next act of the raid.