Shloka 25

Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout

Devanagari script

ते दृष्टवा धर्षयन्तं तमतिमानुषविक्रमम्‌

Transliteration

te dṛṣṭvā dharṣayantaṃ tam atimānuṣa-vikramam

Translation

Seeing him—pressing forward with audacious force, displaying prowess beyond ordinary human measure—they took note of the terrifying momentum of his assault, a moment that underscores how unchecked martial power can overwhelm all restraint in the night of war.

Word by Word

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund), Non-finite

• धर्षयन्तम्: assaulting/attacking
• Type: Verb
• Root: धर्षय् (धृष्-णिच्)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अतिमानुषविक्रमम्: of superhuman prowess
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिमानुषविक्रम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights the moral danger of unrestrained force: when martial power becomes ‘superhuman’ in its intensity, it can eclipse discrimination and compassion, intensifying the ethical collapse typical of nocturnal, surprise violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes onlookers witnessing a warrior’s fierce onslaught—an attacker whose valor seems beyond human—setting the tone of dread and imbalance that characterizes the Sauptika episode’s night-time violence.