Shloka 45
विमुक्तौ च महात्मानौ दृष्टवा द्रौणि: सुदु:खित: । मुहूर्त चिन्तयामास किं त्वेतदिति मारिष,माननीय नरेश! महात्मा श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनको आग्नेयास्त्रसे मुक्त देख अश्वत्थामाको बड़ा दुःख हुआ। वह दो घड़ीतक इसी चिन्तामें डूबा रहा कि “यह क्या हो गया?”
vimuktau ca mahātmānau dṛṣṭvā drauṇiḥ suduḥkhitaḥ | muhūrtaṁ cintayāmāsa kiṁ tv etad iti māriṣa ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing those two great-souled heroes—Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna—released from the Fire-weapon (Agneyāstra), Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā was overwhelmed with grief. For a while he remained absorbed in thought, wondering, “How has this happened, sir?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of mere force and weaponry in a dharmic war: even formidable astras can be neutralized, and the aggressor’s mind is shaken when righteous or divinely protected opponents remain unharmed. It also shows how attachment to victory and reliance on power lead to inner turmoil when outcomes defy expectation.
After deploying the Fire-weapon (Āgneyāstra), Aśvatthāmā sees Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna freed from its effect. Struck by sorrow and frustration, he pauses and broods for a time, trying to understand how his attack failed.