Shloka 826
अश्वत्थामा हते कर्णे किमभाषत संजय । संजय! थरनुर्वेद प्राप्त करनेकी इच्छावाले ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय और वैश्य जिस बुद्धिमान् द्रोणपुत्रके पास आकर शिक्षा ग्रहण करते हैं, जो सुन्दर रूपसे सम्पन्न, युवक, दर्शनीय तथा महायशस्वी है, उस अश्वत्थामाने कर्णके मारे जानेपर क्या कहा?
Aśvatthāmā hate Karṇe kim abhāṣata Sañjaya? Sañjaya! Dhanurveda-prāptiṃ kartum icchantaḥ brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyāḥ vaiśyāś ca yasya buddhimataḥ Droṇaputrasya samīpam āgatya śikṣāṃ gṛhṇanti, yaḥ sundara-rūpa-sampannaḥ yuvā darśanīyaḥ mahāyaśasvī ca, sa Aśvatthāmā Karṇasya māraṇe sati kim uvāca?
Vaiśampāyana said: “When Karṇa had been slain, what did Aśvatthāmā say, O Sañjaya? Sañjaya—Aśvatthāmā, the wise son of Droṇa, to whom Brahmins, Kṣatriyas, and Vaiśyas who desire to master the science of archery come and receive instruction—handsome in form, youthful, striking to behold, and of great renown—what did he utter upon Karṇa’s death?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of a warrior’s death by shifting attention from mere event to moral-psychological response: how a renowned kṣatriya-teacher (Aśvatthāmā) reacts when a great hero (Karṇa) falls. It also highlights the ideal of disciplined martial learning (dhanurveda) sought across varṇas, implying that power and fame should be guided by discernment.
Vaiśampāyana, continuing the war narrative, asks Sañjaya to report Aśvatthāmā’s words after Karṇa has been killed. The verse introduces Aśvatthāmā with a brief encomium—wise, famous, and a sought-after instructor in archery—before posing the question about his immediate speech/reaction to Karṇa’s death.