Shloka 47
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
स घोररूपो व्यचरत् कालवच्छिविरे ततः । अपश्यद् द्रौपदीपुत्रानवशिष्टांश्व सोमकान्,वह भयानक रूपधारी द्रोणकुमार सारे शिविरमें कालके समान विचरने लगा। उसने द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्रों और मरनेसे बचे हुए सोमकोंको देखा
sa ghorarūpo vyacarat kālavac chivire tataḥ | apaśyad draupadīputrān avaśiṣṭāṃś ca somakān |
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Pagkaraan, siya—taglay ang nakapangingilabot na anyo—ay gumala sa buong kampo na wari’y si Kamatayan mismo. Doon niya nakita ang mga anak ni Draupadī, at ang mga Somaka na nalabi at nakaligtas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames uncontrolled vengeance as a force resembling Kāla (Death/Time), suggesting that when one abandons restraint and dharma in war, one becomes an agent of indiscriminate destruction, bringing tragedy upon the innocent and the already-defeated.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāmā roaming the sleeping camp in a terrifying state, and noticing Draupadī’s five sons along with the remaining Somaka warriors—setting the stage for the ensuing slaughter in the Sauptika episode.