Shloka 1486
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
पज्चालान् सृञ्जयांश्वैव विनिकृत्तानू सहस्रश: । अश्वत्थामाका प्रिय करनेवाले उन दोनों वीरोंने भी उस समय उससे यह प्रिय समाचार निवेदन किया कि हम दोनोंने भी सहस्रों पांचालों और सूंजयोंके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर डाले हैं
sañjaya uvāca | pāñcālān sṛñjayāṃś caiva vinikṛttānū sahasraśaḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: “Ribuan Pāñcāla dan Sṛñjaya telah ditebas dan dicincang berkeping-keping.” Maka kedua kesatria itu pun, demi menyenangkan Aśvatthāmā, menyampaikan kabar yang mereka anggap menggembirakan: bahwa mereka juga telah menewaskan ribuan Pāñcāla dan Sṛñjaya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the ethics of war can become distorted: mass killing is presented as “pleasing news,” prompting reflection on adharma—especially in the context of the Sauptika night massacre, where victory-reporting eclipses compassion and righteous conduct.
Sañjaya reports that thousands of Pāñcāla and Sṛñjaya warriors have been cut down. This belongs to the Sauptika Parva’s account of the nocturnal slaughter in the Pāṇḍava camp and its aftermath as conveyed to the Kuru court.