Shloka 137
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
सपुत्रदारा: सक्रूरा: सुदुर्दर्शा: सुनिर्घणा: । विविधानि च रूपाणि तत्रादृश्यन्त रक्षसाम्
saputradārāḥ sakrūrāḥ sudurdarśāḥ sunirghaṇāḥ | vividhāni ca rūpāṇi tatrādṛśyanta rakṣasām ||
サञ्जयは言った。そこにはさまざまな羅刹が見えた――子や妻を伴う者もいて、残忍で、目を向けることすら難しいほど恐ろしく、まったく慈悲を知らぬ。羅刹たちの多様な姿が、その場に現れていた。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical atmosphere of adharma surrounding nocturnal slaughter: cruelty and mercilessness are portrayed as demonic qualities, suggesting that violence divorced from restraint and compassion dehumanizes the perpetrators and darkens the moral order.
Sañjaya reports that, at the scene, many terrifying rākṣasa-like beings (or demonically perceived figures) were seen in diverse forms—cruel, dreadful, and pitiless—intensifying the horror of the Sauptika episode.