Shloka 15
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
तत:ः खड्गवरं धीमान् भूताय प्राहिणोत् तदा
tataḥ khaḍgavaraṃ dhīmān bhūtāya prāhiṇot tadā
于是，那位智者当即将一柄上乘宝剑掷向那异类之存在。于这夜袭的阴惨情境中，暴力不再仅指向人间仇敌，亦转而对准可怖的临在，愈发显出《娑阿普提迦》篇章里道德的幽暗与残酷的步步升级。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the moral gloom of the Sauptika events, violence and fear intensify to the point that action is taken against a ‘bhūta’—suggesting that adharma-driven conflict breeds dread, confusion, and ominous escalation beyond ordinary human combat.
Sañjaya reports that ‘the wise one’ (a capable agent in the episode) sends or hurls a fine sword toward a ‘bhūta’ at that moment, indicating a sudden, tense encounter amid the night-time violence characteristic of the Sauptika Parva.