Shloka 134
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तत्रादृश्यन्त रक्षांसि पिशाचाश्न पृथग्विधा: । खादन्तो नरमांसानि पिबन्त: शोणितानि च,वहाँ नाना प्रकारकी आकृतिवाले बहुत-से राक्षस और पिशाच मनुष्योंके मांस खाते और खून पीते दिखायी देते थे
tatrādṛśyanta rakṣāṃsi piśācāś ca pṛthagvidhāḥ | khādanto naramāṃsāni pibantaḥ śoṇitāni ca ||
Sañjaya said: There, many kinds of Rākṣasas and Piśācas were seen—devouring human flesh and drinking blood. The scene underscores the moral collapse that follows night-time slaughter: when dharma is abandoned, the battlefield becomes a haunt for inhuman forces and a spectacle of unchecked cruelty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extreme, unrighteous violence dehumanizes the scene of war: when ethical restraints collapse, the battlefield is portrayed as attracting or resembling the realm of ghouls—an image meant to condemn cruelty and adharma.
Sañjaya describes a terrifying sight on the battlefield: various Rākṣasas and Piśācas are visible, feeding on corpses—eating human flesh and drinking blood—emphasizing the gruesome aftermath of the nocturnal slaughter in the Sauptika episode.