Shloka 363
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
गदामुद्यम्य वेगेन हृदि द्रौणिमताडयत् । उत्तमौजाको राक्षसद्वारा मारा गया समझकर युधामन्यु भी वहाँ आ पहुँचा। उसने बड़े वेगसे गदा उठाकर अश्वत्थामाकी छातीमें प्रहार किया
gadām udyamya vegena hṛdi drauṇim atāḍayat |
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Sa pag-aakalang napatay si Uttamaujā ng rākṣasa sa may pintuan, dumating din doon si Yudhāmanyu. Itinaas niya ang kanyang pamalo (gada) nang buong bilis at hinampas ang dibdib ng anak ni Droṇa (Aśvatthāmā). Ipinakikita ng pangyayaring ito ang kaguluhan ng digmaan sa gabi: ang dalamhati at maling akala ang nagtutulak sa biglaang marahas na pagganti, sa halip na pinag-isipang pagpipigil ayon sa dharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how night warfare breeds confusion and rash retaliation: grief and mistaken assumptions can override discernment, illustrating why such tactics are often portrayed as ethically corrosive (dharma-violating) within the epic’s moral frame.
In the nocturnal assault of the Sauptika episode, Yudhāmanyu arrives after believing Uttamaujas has been killed by a rākṣasa-like assailant at the entrance; he raises a mace and strikes Aśvatthāman (Drauṇi) in the chest with great force.