Shloka 137
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
सपुत्रदारा: सक्रूरा: सुदुर्दर्शा: सुनिर्घणा: । विविधानि च रूपाणि तत्रादृश्यन्त रक्षसाम्
saputradārāḥ sakrūrāḥ sudurdarśāḥ sunirghaṇāḥ | vividhāni ca rūpāṇi tatrādṛśyanta rakṣasām ||
Sañjaya said: There, many kinds of rākṣasas were seen—some with their sons and wives—cruel, dreadful to behold, and utterly merciless in nature. The scene revealed a terrifying variety of their forms, underscoring the moral darkness and fear that had descended in the wake of the night’s violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical atmosphere of adharma surrounding nocturnal slaughter: cruelty and mercilessness are portrayed as demonic qualities, suggesting that violence divorced from restraint and compassion dehumanizes the perpetrators and darkens the moral order.
Sañjaya reports that, at the scene, many terrifying rākṣasa-like beings (or demonically perceived figures) were seen in diverse forms—cruel, dreadful, and pitiless—intensifying the horror of the Sauptika episode.