Shloka 26
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
त॑ तु तेनाभ्युपायेन गमयित्वा यमक्षयम्
taṁ tu tenābhyupāyena gamayitvā yamakṣayam, rathena śibiraṁ prāyāj jighāṁsur dhṛṣato balī |
Wika ni Sañjaya: Sa pamamagitan ng gayong pakana, naipadala niya si Dhṛṣṭadyumna sa di-nasisirang kaharian ni Yama. Si Aśvatthāmā na makapangyarihan—uuhaw sa pagpatay sa mga kaaway—ay tumungo sa kampo sakay ng karwahe. Pagsakay niya sa maringal na karwahe, umalingawngaw ang kanyang ungol sa lahat ng panig, at saka niya sinimulang salakayin ang bawat himpilan nang sunod-sunod.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the moral collapse of war’s final phase, strategic killing and terror replace fair combat. It invites reflection on dharma in warfare: when violence is pursued through deceit and indiscriminate assault, ‘strength’ becomes ethically compromised and the boundary between heroism and atrocity blurs.
After killing Dhṛṣṭadyumna by a particular stratagem, Aśvatthāmā returns to his chariot, roars to intimidate and rally himself, and begins attacking the various camps one after another—setting the stage for the broader slaughter of the sleeping warriors in the Sauptika episode.