Shloka 47
अध्याय ९ — दुर्योधनस्य अन्त्यावस्था, विलापः, तथा सौप्तिक-प्रतिवृत्तम्
Duryodhana’s Final Condition, Lamentation, and the Night’s Report
संजय उवाच इत्येवमुक्त्वा राजानं भग्नसक्थमचेतनम् | अभश्रृत्थामा समुद्वीक्ष्य पुनर्वचनमब्रवीत्,संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! जिसकी जाँघें टूट गयी थीं, उस अचेत पड़े हुए राजा दुर्योधनसे ऐसा कहकर अभश्रव॒त्थामाने पुन उसकी ओर देखा और इस प्रकार कहा --
sañjaya uvāca | ityevam uktvā rājānaṁ bhagnasaktham acetanam | abhiśrutthāmā samudvīkṣya punar vacanam abravīt |
Sañjaya said: Having spoken thus to the king—Duryodhana—who lay unconscious with his thighs shattered, Aśvatthāmā looked at him again and then spoke once more. The scene underscores the grim moral aftermath of war: a fallen ruler, incapacitated and senseless, becomes the object of renewed counsel that will propel further violence rather than restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse that can follow unchecked ambition and war: even after decisive defeat, the impulse to continue hostility persists. It frames the coming actions as arising in a moment where dharma is obscured—an unconscious, fallen king and a warrior preparing to speak again, setting the stage for further adharma-driven retaliation.
Sañjaya narrates that Aśvatthāmā, after addressing the grievously wounded and unconscious Duryodhana (with shattered thighs), looks at him again and resumes speaking. This is a transitional narrative beat leading into Aśvatthāmā’s subsequent resolve and counsel that culminate in the night-time assault associated with the Sauptika events.