Shloka 1443
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
युगान्ते सर्वभूतानि भस्म कृत्वेव पावक: । जैसे प्रलयकालमें आग सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंको भस्म करके प्रकाशित होती है, उसी प्रकार वह नरसंहार हो जानेपर अपने दुर्गम लक्ष्यतक पहुँचकर अश्वत्थामा अधिक शोभा पाने लगा
yugānte sarvabhūtāni bhasma kṛtveva pāvakaḥ |
Sañjaya said: “At the end of an age, Fire seems to blaze forth after reducing all beings to ash. In the same way, once the slaughter was done, Aśvatthāmā—having reached his hard-to-attain objective—appeared all the more resplendent.” The simile underscores a grim moral contrast: outward ‘splendor’ born from annihilation, where success in war is depicted with the terrifying radiance of cosmic destruction rather than with dharmic glory.
संजय उवाच