Shloka 42
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
योधानश्चान् द्विपांश्वैव प्राच्छिनत् स वरासिना । रुधिरोक्षितसर्वाड्र: कालसृष्ट इवान्तक:,उसने अपनी अच्छी तलवारसे योद्धाओं, घोड़ों और हाथियोंके भी टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर डाले। उसके सारे अंग खूनसे लथपथ हो रहे थे, वह कालप्रेरित यमराजके समान जान पड़ता था
yodhāṁś cān dvipāṁś caiva prācchinat sa varāsinā | rudhirokṣita-sarvāṅgaḥ kāla-sṛṣṭa ivāntakaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: With his excellent sword he hewed down the warriors, and even the horses and elephants, cutting them into pieces. His entire body was drenched in blood; he appeared like Death itself—an executioner set in motion by Time—moving through the slaughter without restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how unchecked wrath and vengeance in war can make a person resemble ‘Antaka’—death itself—suggesting a moral collapse where human agency becomes indistinguishable from blind destruction driven by Kāla (Time/fate).
Sañjaya describes the attacker’s rampage: with a fine sword he cuts down combatants and even great war-animals, his body soaked in blood, appearing like Death unleashed by Time—an image of relentless, indiscriminate killing.