Shloka 44
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तस्य लोहितरक्तस्य दीप्तखड्गस्य युध्यत: । अमानुष इवाकारो बभौ परमभीषण:,वह खूनसे रँग गया था। जूझते हुए उस वीरकी तलवार चमक रही थी। उस समय उसका आकार मानवेतर प्राणीके समान अत्यन्त भयंकर प्रतीत होता था
tasya lohita-raktasya dīpta-khaḍgasya yudhyataḥ | amānuṣa iva ākāro babhau paramabhīṣaṇaḥ ||
तो रक्ताने रंगलाच होता; युद्ध करताना त्या वीराची तलवार तेजाने चमकत होती. त्या वेळी त्याचे रूप जणू मानवेत्तर—अत्यंत भीषण भासत होते.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how unchecked violence in war—especially in the lawless atmosphere of night fighting—can make a person appear 'amānuṣa' (inhuman), suggesting an ethical warning about the loss of humanity when dharma is eclipsed by rage and slaughter.
Sañjaya describes a warrior in combat, drenched in blood with a gleaming sword, whose appearance becomes terrifyingly inhuman—an image that heightens the horror and intensity of the Sauptika episode.