Shloka 55
अश्वत्थामा कृतवर्मा कर्णो मद्राधिप: कृप: । “इन कौरव-सैनिकोंमेंसे अश्वत्थामा, कृतवर्मा, कर्ण, शल्य और कृपाचार्य--ये पाँच प्रमुख महारथी मरनेसे बच गये हैं ।। ५४ $ ।। तांस्त्वमद्य नरव्यात्र हत्वा पजच महारथान्
Aśvatthāmā Kṛtavarmā Karṇo Madrādhipaḥ Kṛpaḥ |
Sañjaya said: “Aśvatthāmā, Kṛtavarmā, Karṇa, the king of Madra (Śalya), and Kṛpa—these five foremost mahārathas among the Kaurava forces have escaped death.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war reduces moral and human realities to a tally of survivors and key combatants. It implicitly points to the ethical weight of continuing violence: even when many have fallen, the presence of a few powerful warriors can prolong destruction and deepen the burden of dharma in decision-making.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, among the Kaurava forces, five principal mahārathas—Aśvatthāmā, Kṛtavarmā, Karṇa, Śalya (lord of Madra), and Kṛpa—remain alive, marking them as the crucial surviving pillars of the Kaurava side at this stage of the battle.