Shloka 159
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
सोमका मत्स्यशेषाश्न सर्वे विनिहता मया । 'सारे पांचाल, द्रौपदीके सभी पुत्र, सोमकवंशी क्षत्रिय तथा मत्स्य देशके अवशिष्ट सैनिक ये सभी मेरे हाथसे मारे गये || १५८ ई ।।
somakā matsyaśeṣāś ca sarve vinihatā mayā | idānīṁ kṛtakṛtyāḥ sma yāma tatraiva mā ciram | yadi jīvati no rājā tasmai śaṁsamaha vayam ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: “Ang mga Somaka at ang nalalabing mga mandirigma ng lupain ng Matsya—lahat ay napatay ko. Ngayon ay natupad na natin ang gawain; bumalik tayo roon agad, huwag magtagal. Kung buhay pa ang ating hari, iuulat natin sa kanya ang balitang ito.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim moral atmosphere of Sauptika: a sense of ‘mission accomplished’ after mass killing, coupled with loyalty to one’s leader. It implicitly contrasts martial loyalty and success with the ethical darkness of slaughtering exhausted or unsuspecting foes, underscoring how victory-talk can mask adharma.
A warrior (in the Sauptika context, the night-raiders’ side) reports that Somakas and the remaining Matsya fighters have been killed. The group then decides to return quickly and, if Duryodhana is still alive, inform him of the outcome.