Shloka 336
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
स तानापततः: सर्वान् रुद्रास्त्रेण व्यपोथयत् । तब जन श्रेष्ठ योद्धाओंने सहसा पहुँचकर अभश्वत्थामाको चारों ओरसे घेर लिया; परंतु अश्व॒त्थामाने पास आते ही उन सबको रुद्रास्त्रसे मार गिराया
sa tān āpatataḥ sarvān rudrāstreṇa vyapothayat |
三阇耶说道：当那些武士一齐向他猛扑而来时，阿湿婆他摩以鲁陀之武器（Rudrāstra）将他们尽数击倒。此事凸显夜战的阴惨升级：近身被围之际，阿湿婆他摩并不克制，反以神圣飞矢应对，使人间交锋化作灾厄般、在法（dharma）上亦令人悚然的屠戮。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the use of divine weapons in close human conflict magnifies destruction and moral peril. In the Sauptika context, it points to the collapse of warrior-ethics (dharma-yuddha norms) and the tragic consequences of answering fear and encirclement with overwhelming, quasi-divine force.
As Aśvatthāmā is suddenly surrounded by opposing fighters who rush at him together, he immediately counters by deploying the Rudrāstra, striking them down en masse.