Shloka 97
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तस्मिंस्तमसि संजाते प्रमूढा: सर्वतो जना:
tasmiṁs tamasi saṁjāte pramūḍhāḥ sarvato janāḥ
Sañjaya said: When that darkness arose, people everywhere were thrown into confusion, their senses and judgment overwhelmed by the sudden gloom—an image of how fear and moral disorientation spread in the wake of nocturnal violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how darkness—both literal and symbolic—breeds collective confusion. In the ethical frame of the Sauptika episode, it suggests that actions done under the cover of night and rage tend to spread fear, impair discernment, and destabilize dharmic order.
Sañjaya describes the onset of darkness and its immediate effect: people everywhere become disoriented. This sets the atmosphere for the Sauptika Parva’s night events, where surprise, panic, and moral chaos dominate the scene.