Shloka 8
रामस्य तु सम: शस्त्रे पुरंदरसमो युधि । कार्तवीर्यसमो वीर्ये बृहस्पतिसमो मतौ,शस्त्रविद्यामें परशुरामके समान, युद्धकलामें इन्द्रके समान, बल-पराक्रममें कृतवीर्यपुत्र अर्जुनके समान, बुद्धिमें बृहस्पतिके सदृश, स्थिरता एवं धैर्यमें पर्वतके तुल्य, तेजमें अग्निके समान, गम्भीरतामें समुद्रके सदूश और क्रोधमें विषधर सर्पके समान नवयुवक अअश्वत्थामा संसारका प्रधान रथी और सुदृढ़ धनुर्धर है। उसने श्रम और थकावटको जीत लिया है। वह संग्राममें वायुके समान वेगपूर्वक विचरनेवाला तथा क्रोधमें भरे हुए यमराजके समान भयंकर है
rāmasya tu samaḥ śastre purandarasamo yudhi | kārtavīryasamo vīrye bṛhaspatisamo matau ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Aśvatthāmā is the equal of Rāma (Paraśurāma) in mastery of weapons, the equal of Purandara (Indra) in battle, the equal of Kārtavīrya in strength and heroic energy, and the equal of Bṛhaspati in counsel. By such comparisons the king underscores the terrifying excellence of Droṇa’s son—an excellence that, in the moral atmosphere of the war, heightens both the dread of violence and the responsibility that accompanies power.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that extraordinary skill and strength are morally weighty: when a warrior’s power approaches the archetypal standards of gods and legendary heroes, the consequences of how that power is used become correspondingly grave—especially in a dharma-fractured war.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra is hearing about the battlefield situation and describes Aśvatthāmā’s formidable qualities through a chain of exalted comparisons (Paraśurāma, Indra, Kārtavīrya, Bṛhaspati), emphasizing why he is a decisive and fearsome figure in the Drona Parva conflict.