Shloka 29
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
राजानं निहतं दृष्टवा भूशं॑ शोकपरायणा:
rājānaṃ nihataṃ dṛṣṭvā bhūśaṃ śokaparāyaṇāḥ
Sañjaya said: Seeing the king slain, they were utterly overwhelmed by grief, their minds turning wholly toward sorrow in the wake of that calamity.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and psychological consequence of violence: the fall of a ruler does not end conflict cleanly but unleashes collective grief and disorientation, reminding the listener that adharma-driven destruction culminates in sorrow rather than true victory.
Sañjaya reports that, upon seeing the king killed, those present (the king’s side/attendants) are plunged into intense mourning, setting the emotional tone for the immediate aftermath described in the Sauptika Parva.