Shloka 26
'अश्वत्थामन्! तुम पुनः शीघ्र ही इसी शस्त्रका प्रयोग करो; क्योंकि विजयकी अभिलाषा रखनेवाले ये पांचाल सैनिक पुनः युद्धके लिये आकर डट गये हैं' ।। अश्वत्थामा तथोक्तस्तु तव पुत्रेण मारिष । सुदीनमभिनि:श्वस्य राजानमिदमब्रवीत्,मान्यवर! आपके पुत्रके ऐसा कहनेपर अअश्वत्थामाने अत्यन्त दीनभावसे उच्छवास लेकर राजासे इस प्रकार कहा--
sañjaya uvāca |
"aśvatthāman! tvaṃ punaḥ śīghram eva asya śastrasya prayogaṃ kuru; yato vijayābhilāṣiṇa ete pāñcālāḥ sainikāḥ punar yuddhāya āgatya saṃnaddhāḥ" ||
aśvatthāmā tathoktas tu tava putreṇa mārisa |
sudīnam abhiniḥśvasya rājānam idam abravīt |
"mānyavara!"
Sanjaya said: “Ashvatthaman, quickly employ that weapon again, for these Panchala warriors—eager for victory—have returned and are standing firm for battle once more.” Thus addressed by your son, O revered king, Ashvatthaman, deeply dejected, heaved a heavy sigh and spoke to the king in these words, addressing him with respect.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how the thirst for victory drives repeated escalation in war: commanders urge immediate re-use of powerful weapons, while the warrior tasked with execution shows inner heaviness. It implicitly contrasts external martial duty and strategic urgency with the ethical and emotional burden borne by the agent who must carry out destructive acts.
Sanjaya reports that Duryodhana urges Ashvatthaman to quickly deploy the same weapon again because the Panchala forces have regrouped and returned to fight. Ashvatthaman, addressed in this way, sighs in deep dejection and begins to reply to the king (Dhritarashtra).