Shloka 323
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
हत्वा पाज्चालराजानं रथमारुह्म तिष्ठति । राजन! वे सारी स्त्रियाँ अश्वत्थामाको देखकर बहुत डर गयी थीं; अतः दीन कण्ठसे बोलीं--'अरे! जल्दी दौड़ो! जल्दी दौड़ो! हमारी समझमें नहीं आता कि यह कोई राक्षस है या मनुष्य। देखो, यह पांचालराजकी हत्या करके रथपर चढ़कर खड़ा है”
sañjaya uvāca | hatvā pāñcālarājānaṃ ratham āruhya tiṣṭhati | rājan! tāḥ sarvāḥ striyaḥ aśvatthāmānaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhayāt atidīnāḥ kaṇṭhena ūcuḥ—“are! kṣipraṃ dhāvata, kṣipraṃ dhāvata! na hi jānīmaḥ eṣa rākṣaso vā manuṣyo vā. paśyata, sa pāñcālarājasya vadhaṃ kṛtvā rathopari sthitaḥ.”
Sanjaya said: “Having slain the king of the Panchalas, he has mounted the chariot and stands there. O King! Seeing Ashvatthama, all the women were seized with terror; in broken, pitiable voices they cried, ‘Run—run quickly! We cannot tell whether this is a demon or a man. Look—after killing the Panchala king, he stands upon the chariot!’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked rage and vengeance in war can cross into adharma, producing terror among the innocent and making the perpetrator appear ‘demonic’ in the eyes of society—an ethical warning about the moral collapse that accompanies cruelty.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Ashvatthama has killed the Panchala king (Drupada) and is standing on a chariot; the Panchala women, terrified, cry out for everyone to flee, unsure whether he is a demon or a man.