Shloka 74
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तांस्तु दैवहतान् पूर्व पश्चाद् द्रौणिव्यपातयत् । त्रासयन् सर्वभूतानि विनदन् भैरवान् रवान्
tāṁstu daivahatān pūrva paścād drauṇivyapātayat | trāsayan sarvabhūtāni vinadan bhairavān ravān
Sañjaya said: Those men, already struck down by fate, were then felled by Drauṇi as well—moving through them before and after—while he terrified all creatures, roaring with dreadful cries. The verse underscores the grim irony of war: when destiny has already doomed the helpless, human violence still presses on, amplifying fear and moral darkness.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when people are already 'daiva-hata' (doomed by fate), choosing to inflict further violence deepens adharma: it multiplies terror, degrades the agent, and turns warfare into cruelty rather than duty.
Sañjaya describes Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā) moving through the camp and striking down those already destined to die, while his fearsome roars spread panic among all beings during the night of slaughter.