Shloka 50
Vāraṇāvata-prasaṃsā and the Pāṇḍavas’ Departure (वरणावत-प्रशंसा तथा पाण्डव-प्रयाणम्)
अलभद् गौतमी पुत्रमश्चत्थामानमौरसम् । भीमविक्रमकर्माणमादित्यसमतेजसम्,उस गौतमी कृपीने मुझसे मेरे औरस पुत्र अश्वत्थामाको प्राप्त किया, जो सूर्यके समान तेजस्वी तथा भयंकर पराक्रम एवं पुरुषार्थ करनेवाला है
alabhad gautamī putram aśvatthāmānam aurasam | bhīmavikramakarmāṇam ādityasamatejasam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Gautamī (Kṛpī) obtained her own legitimate son, Aśvatthāmā—one whose deeds were marked by fearsome valor and whose radiance was equal to the Sun. The verse proclaims the auspicious fulfillment of lineage and foretells the formidable martial power such a birth brings to the Kuru world’s concerns of dharma and dynasty.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic importance of legitimate lineage (aurasa-putra) and signals that extraordinary martial brilliance can be both a blessing to a family line and a source of grave consequences in the wider moral order of the epic.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Gautamī/Kṛpī receives her own son, Aśvatthāmā, described as sun-like in radiance and formidable in valor—introducing his exceptional nature within the unfolding Kuru genealogy and future conflicts.