Shloka 87
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तथा च शिबिरं तेषां द्रौणिराहवदुर्मद: । व्यक्षो भयत राजेन्द्र महाह्नदमिव द्विप:,राजेन्द्र! रणदुर्मद द्रोणकुमारने उन शत्रुओंके शिविरको उसी प्रकार मथ डाला, जैसे कोई गजराज किसी विशाल सरोवरको विक्षुब्ध कर डालता है
tathā ca śibiraṃ teṣāṃ drauṇir āhavadurmadḥ | vyakṣobhayata rājendra mahāhradam iva dvipaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Aśvatthāman, Drona’s son—maddened by the fury of battle—threw the enemy camp into violent turmoil, O king, just as a mighty elephant churns and agitates a vast lake. The simile underscores the overwhelming, indiscriminate force unleashed in the night-raid, where martial rage eclipses restraint and the camp’s order collapses into panic.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked battle-fury can become a force that destroys order and restraint, suggesting an ethical warning: when rage governs action, violence spreads indiscriminately and the moral boundary of warfare is easily crossed.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāman (Drona’s son) storming and throwing the enemy camp into chaos, likening his impact to an elephant violently churning a large lake—an image of overwhelming disruption during the Sauptika night assault.