Shloka 18

Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout

Devanagari script

तमाक्रम्य पदा राजन्‌ कण्ठे चोरसि चोभयो:

Transliteration

tam ākramya padā rājan kaṇṭhe corasi cobhayoḥ

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Tâu Đại vương, hắn giẫm lên người kia bằng chân, rồi ghì chặt nơi cổ họng và ép xuống lồng ngực ở cả hai bên—một hành vi thống trị tàn nhẫn giữa bạo lực đêm đen, cho thấy cơn cuồng nộ của chiến tranh có thể đẩy con người vượt khỏi mọi kiềm chế và lòng trắc ẩn.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आक्रम्य: having stepped on / having trampled
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-क्रम्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• पदा: with (his) foot
• पदा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कण्ठे: on/at the neck
• कण्ठे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• उरसि: on/at the chest
• उरसि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: उरस्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• उभयोः: of both (places/parts)
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective
• Root: उभ
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (contextual), Genitive, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• King Dhṛtarāṣṭra (addressed as rājan)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.