Shloka 14
Sauptika-parva Adhyāya 13 — Bhīmasena’s Pursuit of Drauṇi and the Release of a Divine Astra
स ददर्श महात्मानमुदकान्ते यशस्विनम्,रजसा ध्वस्तमासीन ददर्श द्रौणिमन्तिके । वहाँ जाकर उन्होंने गंगाजीके जलके किनारे परम यशस्वी महात्मा श्रीकृष्ण द्वैपायन व्यासको अनेकों महर्षियोंके साथ बैठे देखा। उनके पास ही वह क्रूरकर्मा द्रोणपुत्र भी बैठा दिखायी दिया। उसने अपने शरीरमें घी लगाकर कुशका चीर पहन रखा था। उसके सारे अंगोंपर धूल छा रही थी
sa dadarśa mahātmānam udakānte yaśasvinam | rajasā dhvastam āsīnaṃ dadarśa drauṇim antike ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Er erblickte den ruhmreichen Großgesinnten, am Wasser auf dem Flussufer sitzend, den Leib von Staub bedeckt; und nahebei sah er Droṇas Sohn (Aśvatthāman) dicht daneben sitzen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical contrast: proximity to a great sage does not erase wrongdoing; after violent transgression, the wrongdoer appears marked by dust and distress, while the sage embodies spiritual authority. It points to the inevitability of moral consequence and the need for accountability and restraint (dharma) even amid war.
The narrator describes arriving at the Gaṅgā’s bank and seeing Vyāsa seated with sages; close by sits Aśvatthāman (Drauṇi), described as dust-covered. The moment sets the stage for counsel, judgment, or confrontation following the night-time atrocities of the Sauptika episode.