Shloka 18
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तमाक्रम्य पदा राजन् कण्ठे चोरसि चोभयो:
tam ākramya padā rājan kaṇṭhe corasi cobhayoḥ
Sanjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, setelah memijaknya dengan kaki, dia menekan pada leher dan pada dada di kedua sisi—tindakan penguasaan yang kejam dalam keganasan malam itu, memperlihatkan bagaimana amarah perang dapat mendorong manusia melampaui batas pengekangan dan belas kasihan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked rage and the momentum of war can manifest as degrading, excessive violence—an implicit warning that victory pursued through cruelty corrodes dharma and human dignity.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the attacker overpowered a victim physically by stepping on him and pinning his throat and chest, describing a close-quarters killing method typical of the brutal night actions in the Sauptika episode.