Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तमुत्पतन्तं शयनाददश्व॒त्थामा महाबल:
tam utpatantaṃ śayanād adaśvatthāmā mahābalaḥ
ਸੰਜਯ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਤਦ ਮਹਾਬਲੀ ਅਸ਼ਵੱਥਾਮਾ ਨੇ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਸੇਜ ਤੋਂ ਅਚਾਨਕ ਉੱਠ ਕੇ ਛਲਾਂਗ ਮਾਰਦਾ ਵੇਖਿਆ।
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores how swiftly fear and aggression escalate in a climate of vengeance: a single sudden movement becomes a trigger in a night governed by suspicion and violence, highlighting the ethical collapse characteristic of the Sauptika episode.
Sanjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā notices someone abruptly rising from a bed. The moment functions as a narrative cue of alarm and imminent action within the nocturnal events of the Sauptika Parva.