Shloka 48
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तेन शब्देन वित्रस्ता धनुर्हस्ता महारथा: । धृष्टझुम्नं हत॑ श्रुत्वा द्रौपदेया विशाम्पते,प्रजानाथ! धृष्टद्युम्नको मारा गया सुनकर द्रौपदीके पाँचों महारथी पुत्र उस शब्दसे भयभीत हो हाथमें धनुष लिये आगे बढ़े
tena śabdena vitrastā dhanur-hastā mahā-rathāḥ | dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ hataṃ śrutvā draupadeyā viśāṃpate prajānātha |
Sañjaya dijo: Sobresaltados por aquel estruendo, los grandes guerreros de carro—los hijos de Draupadī—aferraron sus arcos. Al oír que Dhṛṣṭadyumna había sido muerto, oh señor de los pueblos, avanzaron alarmados.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how sudden violence—especially in the morally fraught context of a night attack—shatters security and forces immediate, duty-driven response. It implicitly contrasts kṣatriya vigilance and protection of one’s own with the ethical unease surrounding killings done outside fair battle norms.
A terrifying sound is heard in the camp. Draupadī’s five sons, described as great warriors, seize their bows. On hearing that Dhṛṣṭadyumna has been killed, they move forward in alarm, reacting to the unfolding night-time slaughter.