Shloka 256
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
भूतमेवाध्यवस्यन्तो न सम प्रव्याहरन् भयात् । उन्होंने उस अलौकिक पराक्रमी पुरुषको धृष्टद्युम्नपर प्रहार करते देख उसे कोई भूत ही समझा; इसीलिये भयके मारे वे कुछ बोल न सके
bhūtam evādhyavasyanto na sama pravyāharan bhayāt |
Sañjaya said: Concluding that he was nothing but a supernatural being, they could not utter a single coherent word out of fear. Having witnessed that otherworldly, mighty man strike down Dhṛṣṭadyumna, their minds collapsed into dread, and speech failed them—showing how terror and delusion can eclipse judgment amid the horrors of night-war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extreme violence and terror distort perception: the witnesses, overwhelmed by fear, misidentify a human assailant as a supernatural being and lose the capacity for speech. The verse highlights how adharma-driven slaughter produces confusion, panic, and moral disorientation.
During the night attack described in the Sauptika Parva, the onlookers see the powerful attacker strike Dhṛṣṭadyumna. Terrified, they conclude the attacker must be a bhūta (spirit) and are unable to speak coherently.