Shloka 84
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
इसके बाद द्रोणकुमार अश्वत्थामा पुनः: भयानक शब्द करनेवाले अपने रथपर सवार हुआ और हाथमें धनुष ले बाणोंद्वारा दूसरे योद्धाओंको यमलोक भेजने लगा ।। पुनरुत्पततश्चापि दूरादपि नरोत्तमान् | शूरान् सम्पततश्वान्यान् कालरात््यै न्न्यवेदयत्
sañjaya uvāca | punaḥ utpatataś cāpi dūrād api narottamān | śūrān sampatataś cānyān kālarātryai nyavedayat ||
Sañjaya said: Once again, springing up and striking even from afar, Aśvatthāmā sent the best of men—heroes who rushed in from other quarters—into the grasp of Kālarātri (Death). The verse underscores the grim momentum of nocturnal slaughter, where martial prowess is turned into indiscriminate destruction, raising a stark ethical contrast between valor in open battle and killing driven by wrath and vengeance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the grip of vengeance and rage, warrior-energy can devolve into morally troubling violence—especially in night attacks—inviting reflection on dharma in warfare and the ethical cost of abandoning restraint.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāmā repeatedly surging forward and killing warriors even from a distance, consigning charging heroes to death (Kālarātri), as the nocturnal slaughter continues.