Shloka 323
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
हत्वा पाज्चालराजानं रथमारुह्म तिष्ठति । राजन! वे सारी स्त्रियाँ अश्वत्थामाको देखकर बहुत डर गयी थीं; अतः दीन कण्ठसे बोलीं--'अरे! जल्दी दौड़ो! जल्दी दौड़ो! हमारी समझमें नहीं आता कि यह कोई राक्षस है या मनुष्य। देखो
sañjaya uvāca | hatvā pāñcālarājānaṃ ratham āruhya tiṣṭhati | rājan! tāḥ sarvāḥ striyaḥ aśvatthāmānaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhayāt atidīnāḥ kaṇṭhena ūcuḥ—“are! kṣipraṃ dhāvata, kṣipraṃ dhāvata! na hi jānīmaḥ eṣa rākṣaso vā manuṣyo vā. paśyata, sa pāñcālarājasya vadhaṃ kṛtvā rathopari sthitaḥ.”
サञ्जयは言った。「パンチャーラ王を討ち、彼は戦車に乗り上がってそこに立っている。」大王よ、女たちはアシュヴァッターマを見るや恐怖に囚われ、哀れなほどかすれた声で叫んだ。「逃げて—早く逃げて！ あれが羅刹なのか人なのか、私たちには分からない。見てください—パンチャーラ王を殺し、戦車の上に立っている！」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked rage and vengeance in war can cross into adharma, producing terror among the innocent and making the perpetrator appear ‘demonic’ in the eyes of society—an ethical warning about the moral collapse that accompanies cruelty.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Ashvatthama has killed the Panchala king (Drupada) and is standing on a chariot; the Panchala women, terrified, cry out for everyone to flee, unsure whether he is a demon or a man.