Shloka 116
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
पृष्ठच्छिन्नान् पार्श्वच्छिन्नान् शिरश्छिन्नांस्तथा परान्
pṛṣṭhacchinnān pārśvacchinnān śiraśchinnāṁs tathā parān
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ചിലരെ പിന്നിൽ നിന്ന് വെട്ടിവീഴ്ത്തി; ചിലരെ വശത്ത് നിന്ന് ചീന്തി; മറ്റുചിലരുടെ തലകളും വേർപെടുത്തപ്പെട്ടു.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys the moral horror of violence carried out without fair combat—attacks from behind and in the dark—suggesting a breakdown of dharma and the warrior code, and emphasizing the ethical cost of vengeance-driven warfare.
Sañjaya is describing the aftermath and manner of killings during the Sauptika episode: bodies are found cut down from behind, from the side, and beheaded—graphic markers of a sudden, ruthless assault rather than open battlefield engagement.