Shloka 138
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
उनकी अंगुलियाँ पीछेकी ओर थीं। वे रूखे, कुरूप और भयंकर गर्जना करनेवाले थे। बहुतोंने घंटोंकी मालाएँ पहन रखी थीं। उनके गलेमें नील चिह्न था। वे बड़े भयानक दिखायी देते थे। उनके स्त्री और पुत्र भी साथ ही थे। वे अत्यन्त क्रूर और निर्दय थे। उनकी ओर देखना भी बहुत कठिन था। वहाँ उन राक्षसोंके भाँति-भाँतिके रूप दृष्टिगोचर हो रहे थे।। पीत्वा च शोणितं हृष्टा: प्रानृत्यन् गणशो<5परे । इदं परमिदं मेध्यमिदं स्वाद्धिति चाब्रुवन्,कोई रक्त पीकर हर्षसे खिल उठे थे। दूसरे अलग-अलग झुंड बनाकर नाच रहे थे। वे आपसमें कहते थे--“यह उत्तम है, यह पवित्र है और यह बहुत स्वादिष्ट है”
pītvā ca śoṇitaṃ hṛṣṭāḥ prānṛtyan gaṇaśo 'pare | idaṃ param idaṃ medhyam idaṃ svādu iti cābruvan ||
Sañjaya said: Having drunk blood, some of them exulted; others, forming themselves into separate bands, danced about. They kept saying to one another, “This is excellent; this is pure; this is delicious.” The scene underscores the utter collapse of moral restraint in the night of slaughter, where violence is not merely committed but celebrated as if it were a sacred delight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extreme violence can invert moral perception: what is inherently impure and sinful (blood-drinking amid slaughter) is proclaimed as “pure” and “excellent.” It serves as a warning about adharma—when cruelty becomes celebratory, ethical discernment is destroyed.
In the aftermath of the nocturnal killing described in Sauptika Parva, terrifying beings are depicted reveling in the carnage: some drink blood and rejoice, while others dance in groups, praising it as if it were something sacred and delicious.