Shloka 363
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
गदामुद्यम्य वेगेन हृदि द्रौणिमताडयत् । उत्तमौजाको राक्षसद्वारा मारा गया समझकर युधामन्यु भी वहाँ आ पहुँचा। उसने बड़े वेगसे गदा उठाकर अश्वत्थामाकी छातीमें प्रहार किया
gadām udyamya vegena hṛdi drauṇim atāḍayat |
三阇耶说道：以为优多摩乌阇已被门口的罗刹所杀，优陀摩纽（Yudhāmanyu）也赶到那里。他猛然举起铁杵（钉锤），重击德罗那之子（阿湿婆他摩）的胸膛。此段凸显夜战的混乱：悲恸与误认驱使人立刻以暴制暴，而非依循法（dharma）作审慎的克制。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how night warfare breeds confusion and rash retaliation: grief and mistaken assumptions can override discernment, illustrating why such tactics are often portrayed as ethically corrosive (dharma-violating) within the epic’s moral frame.
In the nocturnal assault of the Sauptika episode, Yudhāmanyu arrives after believing Uttamaujas has been killed by a rākṣasa-like assailant at the entrance; he raises a mace and strikes Aśvatthāman (Drauṇi) in the chest with great force.