Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
।। तस्मिंस्तथा वर्तमाने रक्षांसि पुरुषर्षभ
tasmiṃs tathā vartamāne rakṣāṃsi puruṣarṣabha
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Habang nagaganap ang mga bagay sa gayong paraan, O bantayog sa mga lalaki, ang mga rākṣasa (mga nilalang na gumagala sa gabi) ay nagsimulang kumilos—isang madilim na pagliko sa naglalagablab na karahasan ng gabi.
संजय उवाच
The verse signals how, when violence and disorder prevail—especially in the moral darkness of night—inauspicious and destructive forces are said to gain scope. It frames the episode as ethically degraded, not merely militarily strategic.
Sañjaya marks a transition: as events continue in the described manner, rākṣasas are mentioned as becoming present/active, heightening the ominous atmosphere around the nocturnal actions central to the Sauptika Parva.