Shloka 13
(तथार्जुनोडपि संदहृष्ट अश्वत्थामानमाहवे । शशंस सर्वभूतानां शृुण्वतामपि भारत ।।) भारत! अर्जुनने भी अत्यन्त हर्षमें भरकर रण-भूमिमें सम्पूर्ण भूतोंके सुनते हुए अश्वृत्थामाकी भूरि-भूरि प्रशंसा की । स हि नित्यमनीकेषु युध्यते5भयमास्थित: । अस्त्रग्रामं ससंहारं द्रोणात् प्राप्य सुदुर्लभम्,वह द्रोणाचार्यसे उपसंहारसहित सुदुर्लभ अस्त्र-समुदायकी शिक्षा पाकर निर्भय हो सदा ही पाण्डव-सैनिकोंके साथ युद्ध करता था
sañjaya uvāca | tathārjuno 'pi saṁdahṛṣṭa aśvatthāmānam āhave | śaśaṁsa sarvabhūtānāṁ śṛṇvatām api bhārata || sa hi nityam anīkeṣu yudhyate 'bhayam āsthitaḥ | astragrāmaṁ sasaṁhāraṁ droṇāt prāpya sudurlabham ||
Sañjaya said: “So too Arjuna, filled with exhilaration on the battlefield, praised Aśvatthāmā in the hearing of all beings, O Bhārata. For he, having obtained from Droṇa a rare and formidable arsenal together with its methods of withdrawal and recall, stands fearless and continually fights amid the battle-formations.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, excellence and courage in an opponent can be acknowledged openly. The verse also highlights the ethical weight of martial knowledge: true mastery includes not only deploying weapons but also withdrawing them (sa-saṁhāra), implying restraint and responsibility alongside valor.
Sanjaya reports that Arjuna, exhilarated in the battle, publicly praises Aśvatthāmā. The reason given is Aśvatthāmā’s fearless fighting and his rare training under Droṇa—an arsenal of weapons along with the techniques for recalling or withdrawing them.