Shloka 26
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
त॑ तु तेनाभ्युपायेन गमयित्वा यमक्षयम्
taṁ tu tenābhyupāyena gamayitvā yamakṣayam, rathena śibiraṁ prāyāj jighāṁsur dhṛṣato balī |
三阇耶说道：他以此计策，将持军（Dhṛṣṭadyumna）送入阎摩那不坏的界域。随后，强悍的阿湿婆他摩（Aśvatthāmā）怀着诛灭仇敌之心，乘战车奔向营地。登上华美的战车，他长啸怒吼，令四方回响，继而按次第攻袭各处营帐。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the moral collapse of war’s final phase, strategic killing and terror replace fair combat. It invites reflection on dharma in warfare: when violence is pursued through deceit and indiscriminate assault, ‘strength’ becomes ethically compromised and the boundary between heroism and atrocity blurs.
After killing Dhṛṣṭadyumna by a particular stratagem, Aśvatthāmā returns to his chariot, roars to intimidate and rally himself, and begins attacking the various camps one after another—setting the stage for the broader slaughter of the sleeping warriors in the Sauptika episode.