Shloka 176
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
निद्रया चैव पाउचाल्यो नाशकच्चेष्टितुं तदा । भारत! धृष्टद्युम्न भय और निद्रासे दबा हुआ था। उस अवस्थामें जब अश्वत्थामाने उसे जोरसे पटककर रगड़ना आरम्भ किया, तब उससे कोई भी चेष्टा करते न बना
nidrāyā caiva pāñcālyo nāśakac ceṣṭituṃ tadā | bhārata dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ bhayena nidrayā ca dabāḥ san | tasyāvasthāyām aśvatthāmānaṃ taṃ balāt pātayitvā mardayitum ārabdhaḥ, tadā tasya kiñcid api ceṣṭituṃ na śaśāka ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Dinaig ng antok, ang prinsipe ng Pāñcāla ay hindi nakakilos noon. O Bhārata, si Dṛṣṭadyumna—dinadaganan ng takot at pag-aantok—ay hindi makapagpumiglas ni makapagsikap man lamang, nang siya’y dakpin ni Aśvatthāmā, ibagsak nang buong lakas, at simulang durugin.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse inherent in the Sauptika episode: violence is inflicted when the victim is incapacitated by sleep and fear, emphasizing how vengeance and rage can override the warrior-code and the norms of righteous combat.
Sañjaya describes Dṛṣṭadyumna, the Pāñcāla leader, as unable to resist because he is overwhelmed by sleep and fear; Aśvatthāmā forcefully throws him down and begins to crush/subdue him, marking a brutal moment in the nocturnal assault.