Shloka 27
Aśvatthāmā’s Lamentation, Vow of Retaliation, and the Manifestation of the Nārāyaṇāstra (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६६)
तस्मात् सर्वात्मना मन्ये भारद्वाजस्य रक्षणम् । सुगुप्त: पाण्डवान् हन्यात् सृञ्जयांश्व ससोमकान्
tasmāt sarvātmanā manye bhāradvājasya rakṣaṇam | suguptaḥ pāṇḍavān hanyāt sṛñjayāṁś ca sasomakān
Sañjaya said: “Therefore, with my whole conviction, I hold that Bhāradvāja’s son must be protected. If he is well-guarded, he will strike down the Pāṇḍavas, and the Sṛñjayas along with the Somakas.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights wartime counsel where protection of a key warrior is treated as decisive for victory. Ethically, it reflects how strategic thinking in battle can prioritize outcomes (slaying opponents) over broader considerations, illustrating the tension between pragmatic warcraft and the moral weight of violence.
Sañjaya reports an assessment that the son of Bhāradvāja (Aśvatthāmā) should be guarded carefully; if kept secure, he is expected to be capable of killing the Pāṇḍavas and their allied forces, the Sṛñjayas and Somakas.