Shloka 126
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तदिदं नः कृतं घोर रक्षोभि: क्रूरकर्मभि: । इति लालप्यमाना: सम शेरते बहवो जना:,“आज क्र्रकर्मा राक्षसोंद्वारा हमारी यह भयंकर दुर्दशा की गयी है।” इस प्रकार विलाप करते हुए बहुत-से मनुष्य रणभूमिमें सो रहे थे
tad idaṁ naḥ kṛtaṁ ghoraṁ rakṣobhiḥ krūrakarmabhiḥ | iti lālapyamānāḥ samaśerate bahavo janāḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ce terrible malheur nous a été infligé par les rākṣasas aux actes cruels.» Se lamentant ainsi, beaucoup d’hommes gisaient ensemble, épars et endormis sur le champ de bataille, accablés sous l’effroi de la nuit.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical horror of war when it descends into night-terror and indiscriminate cruelty: human beings, overwhelmed and powerless, can only lament as violence strips them of agency and dignity—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning about adharma multiplying suffering.
Sañjaya reports that many people on the battlefield, exhausted and stricken, are lying together while crying out that rākṣasas of cruel deeds have caused their dreadful plight—evoking the chaos and fear associated with the nocturnal slaughter in the Sauptika episode.