Shloka 40

Adhyāya 92: Irāvanta-śoka, punaḥ-pravṛttiḥ saṅgrāmasya

Arjuna’s grief and the battle’s renewed intensity

Devanagari script

अश्व॒त्थाम्नि कृपे चैव तथैव कृतवर्मणि । तथेतरेषु क्रुद्धेघु तावकानामपि क्षय:,भारत! शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्म, रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ द्रोणाचार्य, अश्वत्थामा, कृपाचार्य और कृतवर्मा--इनके कुपित होनेसे पाण्डव सैनिकोंका भी इस प्रकार यह संहार हुआ था। साथ ही पाण्डवोंके कुपित होनेसे आपके योद्धाओंका भी ऐसा ही विकट विनाश हुआ था

Transliteration

aśvatthāmni kṛpe caiva tathaiva kṛtavarmaṇi | tathetareṣu kruddheṣu tāvakānām api kṣayaḥ, bhārata |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “When Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa, and likewise Kṛtavarman—and the other warriors as well—were inflamed with wrath, there was destruction even among your own men, O Bhārata. In this war, anger did not spare either side; the same fury that cut down the Pāṇḍava host also brought a dreadful ruin upon the Kaurava forces.”

Word by Word

• {'aśvatthāmni': 'in/with Aśvatthāmā (locative

• referring to him as a principal agent in the fighting)', 'kṛpe': 'in/with Kṛpa (locative

• Kṛpācārya)', 'ca eva': 'and indeed / and also', 'tathā eva': 'likewise / in the same manner', 'kṛtavarmaṇi': 'in/with Kṛtavarman (locative)', 'tathā itareṣu': 'and similarly among the others', 'kruddheṣu': 'when (they were) enraged

• in the angry ones (locative plural)', 'tāvakānām': 'of yours

• of your side (Kauravas) (genitive plural)', 'api': 'even

• also', 'kṣayaḥ': 'destruction

• annihilation', 'bhārata': 'O Bhārata (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• Aśvatthāmā
• Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya)
• Kṛtavarman
• Tāvakāḥ (the Kaurava side)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Unchecked wrath (krodha) in war becomes indiscriminate: it destroys not only the enemy but also one’s own side. The verse underscores an ethical warning—violence driven by anger erodes discernment and leads to mutual ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that when key Kaurava fighters—Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa, Kṛtavarman, and others—fought in anger, the battle’s devastation extended even to Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s own forces, highlighting the reciprocal slaughter on both sides.