Shloka 32
अश्वत्थाम-शापः, परिक्षिद्भविष्यत्, मणि-न्यासः
Aśvatthāman’s Curse, Parikṣit’s Future, and the Mani’s Restitution
वैरस्य गतमानृण्यं न सम वाच्या विवक्षताम् | जित्वा मुक्तो द्रोणपुत्रो ब्राह्मण्याद् गौरवेण च
vai rasya gatam ānṛṇyaṁ na sama-vācyā vivekṣatām | jitvā mukto droṇaputro brāhmaṇyād gauraveṇa ca |
Vaiśampāyana said: “Our enmity has been fully repaid; the debt of vengeance is discharged. Those who wish to speak cannot now utter any equal reproach against us. Having overcome Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāman), we released him alive—out of regard for his Brahmin status and because he is the son of our teacher.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the logic of vengeance, the epic highlights ethical restraints: respect for Brahmin status and reverence for the guru’s lineage can limit retaliation, suggesting that dharma can temper victory and punishment.
The speaker frames the feud as ‘settled’ and claims opponents can no longer reproach them equally; after defeating Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāman, they spare and release him specifically because he is a Brahmin and the son of their revered teacher.