Shloka 52
स त्वं गोविन्दवाक्यानि मानयस्व जयैषिण: । द्रोणाय निहतं शंस राजन् शारद्वतीसुतम्,“नरेश्वर! अतः आप विजय चाहनेवाले भगवान् श्रीकृष्णकी बात मान लीजिये और द्रोणाचार्यसे कह दीजिये कि “अश्वत्थामा मारा गया”
sa tvaṁ govindavākyāni mānayāsva jayaiṣiṇaḥ | droṇāya nihataṁ śaṁsa rājan śāradvatīsutam ||
Sanjaya said: “Therefore, O King, honor the words of Govinda, who seeks victory. Go and tell Drona that Ashvatthama, the son of Sharadvati, has been slain.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral strain of warfare: victory-driven counsel can pressure leaders toward ethically ambiguous speech. It foregrounds the conflict between strategic necessity (breaking Droṇa’s resolve) and the dharmic ideal of truthfulness.
Sanjaya recounts advice to the king: follow Kṛṣṇa’s victory-oriented counsel and convey to Droṇa that Aśvatthāmā has been killed—an announcement intended to psychologically unseat Droṇa on the battlefield.