Shloka 18
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
तमाक्रम्य पदा राजन् कण्ठे चोरसि चोभयो:
tam ākramya padā rājan kaṇṭhe corasi cobhayoḥ
Sinabi ni Sanjaya: O Hari, matapos siyang yurakan ng paa, pinisil niya ang lalamunan at dinagan ang dibdib sa magkabilang panig—isang malupit na pagpapasakop sa gitna ng karahasan ng gabi, na nagpapakita kung paanong ang poot ng digmaan ay nakapagtutulak sa tao lampas sa pagpipigil at habag.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked rage and the momentum of war can manifest as degrading, excessive violence—an implicit warning that victory pursued through cruelty corrodes dharma and human dignity.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the attacker overpowered a victim physically by stepping on him and pinning his throat and chest, describing a close-quarters killing method typical of the brutal night actions in the Sauptika episode.