Shloka 45
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
ये त्वजाग्रन्त कौरव्य तेडपि शब्देन मोहिता: । निरीक्ष्यमाणा अन्योन्यं दृष्टवा दृष्टवा प्रविव्यथु:,कुरुनन्दन! जो जाग रहे थे, वे भी उस कोलाहलसे किंकर्तव्यविमूढ हो गये थे। परस्पर देखे जाते हुए वे सभी सैनिक अश्वत्थामाको देख-देखकर व्यथित हो रहे थे
ye tv ajāgranta kauravya te 'pi śabdena mohitāḥ | nirīkṣyamāṇā anyonyaṁ dṛṣṭvā dṛṣṭvā pravivyathuḥ kurunandana ||
Sañjaya said: “O son of the Kuru line, even those who were awake were bewildered by that uproar. Watching one another, they kept looking again and again, and—on seeing Aśvatthāmā—were seized with trembling and distress.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how violence undertaken in darkness and confusion spreads moral and psychological collapse: even the vigilant lose discernment, and fear multiplies through mutual observation and rumor-like noise—an implicit critique of adharma-driven warfare.
During the night in the Sauptika episode, a sudden uproar arises; even the awake guards and soldiers become disoriented. They look at one another repeatedly, and on recognizing Aśvatthāmā’s presence, they tremble in distress.