Shloka 25
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
Devanagari script
ते दृष्टवा धर्षयन्तं तमतिमानुषविक्रमम्
Transliteration
te dṛṣṭvā dharṣayantaṃ tam atimānuṣa-vikramam
Translation
അവർ അവനെ കണ്ടു—മാനുഷപരിധി കടക്കുന്ന വീര്യത്തോടെ ധൃഷ്ടമായി മുന്നേറി എല്ലാം അമർത്തിക്കൊണ്ടിരുന്നവനെ।
Word by Word
तेthey
ते:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
दृष्ट्वाhaving seen
दृष्ट्वा:
TypeVerb
Rootदृश्
Formक्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund), Non-finite
धर्षयन्तम्assaulting/attacking
धर्षयन्तम्:
TypeVerb
Rootधर्षय् (धृष्-णिच्)
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)
तम्him
तम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
अतिमानुषविक्रमम्of superhuman prowess
अतिमानुषविक्रमम्:
TypeAdjective
Rootअतिमानुषविक्रम
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The line highlights the moral danger of unrestrained force: when martial power becomes ‘superhuman’ in its intensity, it can eclipse discrimination and compassion, intensifying the ethical collapse typical of nocturnal, surprise violence.
Sañjaya describes onlookers witnessing a warrior’s fierce onslaught—an attacker whose valor seems beyond human—setting the tone of dread and imbalance that characterizes the Sauptika episode’s night-time violence.