Shloka 68
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
उस महाबली वीरने द्रुपदके पुत्रों, पौत्रों और सुहृदोंको ढूँढ़-दूँढ़कर उनका घोर संहार मचा दिया ।। अन्यानन्यांश्व॒ पुरुषानभिसृत्याभिसृत्य च । न्यकृन्तदसिना द्रौणिरसिमार्गविशारद:,तलवारके पैंतरोंमें कुशल द्रोणपुत्रने दूसरे-दूसरे पुरुषोंक भी निकट जाकर तलवारसे ही उनके टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर डाले
sañjaya uvāca | sa mahābalī vīro drupadasya putrān pautrān suhṛdaś ca dhūṇḍhayitvā dhūṇḍhayitvā teṣāṃ ghoraṃ saṃhāram acakarot || anyān anyāṃś ca puruṣān abhisṛtyābhisṛtya ca | nyakṛntad asinā drauṇir asimārga-viśāradaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: That mighty warrior, searching out Drupada’s sons, grandsons, and friends one by one, unleashed a dreadful slaughter upon them. And approaching other men again and again, Droṇa’s son—skilled in the ways of the sword—cut them down with his blade. The passage underscores the night-raid’s ruthless, indiscriminate violence, where martial skill is severed from restraint and the bonds of kinship and friendship offer no protection.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how technical prowess in war (skill with the sword) becomes morally hollow when divorced from restraint and dharma. It presents the night-slaughter as a cautionary image of vengeance and unchecked rage overriding ethical limits, even against the vulnerable and unsuspecting.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāman) moving through the camp, deliberately seeking out Drupada’s sons, grandsons, and allies, and killing them. He then continues by repeatedly approaching other men and cutting them down with his sword, emphasizing systematic, close-quarters killing.