Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
पश्चादड्गुलयो रूक्षा विरूपा भैरवस्वना: । घण्टाजालावसक्ताश्ष नीलकण्ठा विभीषणा:
paścād aṅgulayo rūkṣā virūpā bhairavasvanāḥ | ghaṇṭājālāvasaktāś ca nīlakaṇṭhā vibhīṣaṇāḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Ensuite apparurent des êtres terrifiants — aux doigts rudes, difformes, poussant des cris d’épouvante. Ils étaient chargés de grappes de clochettes, à la gorge bleue, et effrayants à contempler.
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores that acts of violence carried out in a lawless, nightmarish manner are accompanied by ominous, dehumanizing signs; the external terror reflects an ethical disorder where restraint and dharma have been abandoned.
In Sañjaya’s report, frightening, misshapen, bell-adorned, blue-throated beings with dreadful cries appear as part of the eerie atmosphere surrounding the events of the Sauptika episode, intensifying the sense of horror and foreboding.