Shloka 53
भीमसेनस्तु सव्रीडमब्रवीत् पितरं तव । अश्वत्थामा हत इति तं नाबुध्यत ते पिता,तब भीमसेनने लजाते-लजाते तुम्हारे पितासे कहा--“अश्व॒त्थामा मारा गया!। परंतु उनकी इस बातपर तुम्हारे पिताको विश्वास नहीं हुआ
bhīmasenas tu savrīḍam abravīt pitaraṃ tava | aśvatthāmā hata iti taṃ nābudhyat te pitā ||
Bhīmasena, though ashamed, said to your father, “Aśvatthāmā has been slain.” Yet your father did not accept those words as true.
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare pressures individuals into morally compromised speech. Even when spoken with shame, a deceptive or strategic statement can erode dharma by attacking the foundations of trust and truth.
Bhīma, feeling ashamed, tells Droṇa that Aśvatthāmā has been killed. Droṇa, however, does not believe or accept the claim, indicating his doubt and the gravity of the assertion.