Shloka 120
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
यक्षरक्ष:समाकीर्णे रथाश्वद्धिपदारुणे
yakṣarakṣaḥ-samākīrṇe rathāśvaddhipadāruṇe
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ആ സ്ഥലം യക്ഷരാക്ഷസന്മാരാൽ നിറഞ്ഞിരുന്നു; രഥങ്ങളും കുതിരകളും ആനകളും ചവിട്ടിമെതിച്ചതാൽ അതി ഭീകരമായി തോന്നി.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war—especially the nocturnal, lawless slaughter of the Sauptika episode—invites a descent into fear, cruelty, and ‘inhuman’ forces, symbolized by yakṣas and rākṣasas, warning that adharma makes the world itself appear monstrous.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield atmosphere as terrifying: it seems crowded with supernatural beings, while the ground is churned and made dreadful by the trampling of chariots, horses, and elephants—setting the tone for the grim events of the night.