Shloka 54
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
ततः स नरशार्दूल: प्रतिविन्धयं महाहवे । कुक्षिदेशेडवधीद् राजन् स हतो न्यपतद् भुवि,उस बलवान वीरने द्रौपदीके पुत्रोंपर आक्रमण करके उन्हें खड़्गसे छिन्न-भिन्न कर दिया। राजन! उस समय पुरुषसिंह अश्वत्थामाने उस महासमरमें प्रतिविन्ध्यको उसकी कोखमें तलवार भोंककर मार डाला। वह मरकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
tataḥ sa naraśārdūlaḥ prativindhyaṁ mahāhave | kukṣideśe 'vadhīd rājan sa hato nyapatad bhuvi ||
Sañjaya said: Then that tiger among men—Aśvatthāmā—slew Prativindhya in the great battle. O King, striking him in the region of the belly with his sword, he killed him, and the slain warrior fell upon the earth. The scene underscores the night-raid’s ruthless, adharma-leaning violence, where the usual restraints of righteous warfare are abandoned and the sons of Draupadī are cut down without mercy.
संजय उवाच