Shloka 4
यस्य द्रोणो महेष्वासो न प्रादादाहवे मुखम् । निजषघ्ने रथिनां श्रेष्ठ धृष्टद्युम्न॑ कथं नु सः,“महाथनुर्धर द्रोणाचार्य युद्धमें जिसके सामने मुँह नहीं दिखाते थे, उसी रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ धष्टद्युम्नको अश्वत्थामाने कैसे मार डाला?
yasya droṇo maheṣvāso na prādād āhave mukham | nija-ghne rathināṁ śreṣṭha dhṛṣṭadyumnaṁ kathaṁ nu saḥ ||
“How, indeed, did Aśvatthāman manage to slay Dhṛṣṭadyumna—foremost among chariot-warriors—when even the great archer Droṇa would not face him in battle?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between valor in open battle and the moral stain of killing by unfair means. It invites reflection on kṣatriya-dharma: true prowess is measured not only by victory but by the manner of fighting, especially when violence turns into vengeance-driven transgression.
Vaiśampāyana points out Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s formidable reputation—so great that even Droṇa would not face him directly—and asks how Aśvatthāman could have killed him. The question anticipates the explanation that the slaying occurred during the night raid in the Sauptika episode, where normal battlefield conventions were violated.