Shloka 130
अन्योन्यं सम्परिष्वज्य शयानान् द्रवतो5परान् | संलीनान् युद्धयमानांश्व सर्वान् द्रौणिरपोथयत्
anyonyam sampariṣvajya śayānān dravatoparān | saṃlīnān yuddhayamānāṃś ca sarvān drauṇir apothayat ||
Sañjaya said: Some were lying down, clasping one another in mutual embrace; others were fleeing in panic; others again were hiding or trying to fight back. Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāman) struck down all of them. The scene underscores the moral collapse of warfare at night—where fear, confusion, and helplessness replace fair combat, and slaughter overtakes any remaining restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can descend into adharma when restraint and rules collapse—especially in a night raid where the vulnerable (sleeping, fleeing, hiding) are killed. It invites reflection on ethical limits in conflict and the consequences of vengeance-driven violence.
Sañjaya describes the chaos in the camp during Aśvatthāman’s nocturnal assault: some warriors lie embracing in sleep, some run, some hide, some try to fight; Aśvatthāman cuts them all down indiscriminately.