अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
केषांचिदच्छिनत् पक्षान् शिरांसि च चकर्त ह । चरणांश्वैव केषांचिद्ू बभज्ज चरणायुध:
keṣāñcid acchinat pakṣān śirāṃsi ca cakarta ha | caraṇāṃś caiva keṣāñcid babhajja caraṇāyudhaḥ ||
उसने अपने पंजों को ही शस्त्र बनाकर किसी के पंख नोच डाले, किसी के सिर काट दिए और किसी के पैर तोड़ डाले।
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the moral degradation that follows unchecked violence: when aggression becomes habitual, even ordinary means (like one’s feet) are turned into weapons, leading to indiscriminate harm—an implicit warning against adharma and cruelty.
Sañjaya describes a violent act in which the attacker mutilates victims—tearing wings, cutting off heads, and breaking legs—using his feet as weapons, conveying the brutality and chaos characteristic of the Sauptika episode.