Shloka 2736
Aśvatthāmā’s Buddhi-Doctrine and Nocturnal Incursion Resolve (अश्वत्थाम्नः बुद्धिविचारः सौप्तिकसंकल्पश्च)
सूदयिष्यामि विक्रम्प मघवानिव दानवान् । 'जैसे इन्द्र दानवोंपर आक्रमण करते हैं, उसी प्रकार मैं भी शिविरमें मुर्दोके समान अचेत पड़े हुए पांचालोंकी छातीपर चढ़कर उन्हें पराक्रमपूर्वक मार डालूँगा
sūdayiṣyāmi vikramam maghavān iva dānavān |
सूदयिष्यामि विक्रमं मघवानिव दानवान् ।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how mythic exemplars (Indra’s victories) are invoked to frame and legitimize extreme wartime violence; it invites reflection on the tension between heroic self-image and the ethical degradation associated with slaughter—especially in contexts like a night attack.
Sañjaya reports a vow of imminent killing: the speaker declares he will slay the enemy with prowess, comparing his action to Indra’s destruction of the Dānavas—an image that heightens the ferocity and inevitability of the coming massacre in the Sauptika episode.