Shloka 1456
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
दुर्गमां पदवीं गच्छन् पितुरासीद् गतज्वर: । नरेश्वर! अपने पिताके दुर्गगन पथपर चलता हुआ द्रोणकुमार अपनी प्रतिज्ञाके अनुसार सारा कार्य पूर्ण करके शोक और चिन्तासे रहित हो गया
durgamāṁ padavīṁ gacchan pitur āsīd gatajvaraḥ | nareśvara! apane pitāke durgama patha para calatā huā droṇakumāra apanī pratijñā ke anusāra sārā kārya pūrṇa karke śoka aura cintā se rahita ho gayā |
Sañjaya said: As he proceeded along the difficult path to his father, Droṇa’s son became free from feverish agitation. O king, having carried out his vow and completed the deed, he was left without grief and anxiety—his mind steadied by the grim fulfillment of his resolve.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the unsettling moral psychology of violence: once a vow-driven act is completed, the doer may feel a deceptive calm (gata-jvara) even when the deed is ethically grievous. It invites reflection on how resolve and revenge can suppress remorse, and why dharma requires more than merely fulfilling a promise.
Sañjaya tells Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāmā, having carried out his vowed mission, proceeds on a difficult route toward his father Droṇa (or toward what he regards as his father’s cause/legacy) and becomes free from agitation—no longer troubled by grief or anxiety after completing his intended action.