Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
ते दृष्टवा धर्षयन्तं तमतिमानुषविक्रमम्
te dṛṣṭvā dharṣayantaṃ tam atimānuṣa-vikramam
वे उसे देखते रहे—जो अतिमानुष पराक्रम के साथ धावा बोलकर सबको रौंदता चला जा रहा था।
संजय उवाच
The line highlights the moral danger of unrestrained force: when martial power becomes ‘superhuman’ in its intensity, it can eclipse discrimination and compassion, intensifying the ethical collapse typical of nocturnal, surprise violence.
Sañjaya describes onlookers witnessing a warrior’s fierce onslaught—an attacker whose valor seems beyond human—setting the tone of dread and imbalance that characterizes the Sauptika episode’s night-time violence.