Shloka 54
अश्वत्थामा तु सम्प्राप्य चेतनां भरतर्षभ । चिन्तयामास दु:खारतों नि:श्वसंश्ष पुनः पुन:,भरतश्रेष्ठ) उधर अश्वत्थामाको जब चेत हुआ, तब वह दुःखसे आतुर हो बारंबार लंबी साँस खींचता हुआ कुछ देरतक चिन्तामें डूबा रहा
sañjaya uvāca |
aśvatthāmā tu samprāpya cetanāṃ bharatarṣabha |
cintayāmāsa duḥkhārto niḥśvasaṃś ca punaḥ punaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O bull among the Bharatas, when Aśvatthāmā regained consciousness, he—overwhelmed by grief—fell into thought for a while, again and again drawing long, heavy breaths. The scene underscores how the shock of war and loss unsettles the mind, and how inner turmoil precedes the choices that follow.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-psychological truth that intense grief and shock cloud judgment; before ethical action comes inner reckoning. In the Mahābhārata’s war narrative, such moments foreshadow how unchecked sorrow can tip one toward adharma if not steadied by discernment.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāmā has regained consciousness and is overwhelmed with sorrow, repeatedly sighing and sinking into anxious reflection for some time.