Shloka 47
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
स घोररूपो व्यचरत् कालवच्छिविरे ततः । अपश्यद् द्रौपदीपुत्रानवशिष्टांश्व सोमकान्
sa ghorarūpo vyacarat kālavac chivire tataḥ | apaśyad draupadīputrān avaśiṣṭāṃś ca somakān |
ਸੰਜਯ ਬੋਲਿਆ—ਫਿਰ ਉਹ ਭਿਆਨਕ ਰੂਪ ਧਾਰ ਕੇ ਛਾਵਣੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਾਲ ਵਾਂਗ ਘੁੰਮਣ ਲੱਗਾ। ਉੱਥੇ ਉਸ ਨੇ ਦ੍ਰੌਪਦੀ ਦੇ ਪੁੱਤਰਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਬਚੇ ਹੋਏ ਸੋਮਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੇਖਿਆ।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames uncontrolled vengeance as a force resembling Kāla (Death/Time), suggesting that when one abandons restraint and dharma in war, one becomes an agent of indiscriminate destruction, bringing tragedy upon the innocent and the already-defeated.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāmā roaming the sleeping camp in a terrifying state, and noticing Draupadī’s five sons along with the remaining Somaka warriors—setting the stage for the ensuing slaughter in the Sauptika episode.