Shloka 71
ततस्त्वरित उत्थाय पादौ मूर्ध्ना प्रणम्य च,राजेन्द्र! तदनन्तर वे सहसा उठकर खड़े हो गये और व्यासजीके चरणोंमें मस्तक झुकाकर प्रणाम करके कुरुवंशी धृतराष्ट्रसे बोले--“कुरुश्रेष्ठी अब मैं आपसे जानेकी आज्ञा चाहता हूँ। अब आप अपने मनको शोकमग्न न कीजिये। द्रोणपुत्र अश्वत्थामाके मनमें पापपूर्ण संकल्प उदित हुआ है। इसीलिये मैं सहसा उठ गया हूँ। उसने रातको सोते समय पाण्डवोंके वधका विचार किया है”
tatas tvarita utthāya pādau mūrdhnā praṇamya ca, rājendra! tadanantaraṃ vai sahasā utthāya khaḍe ho gaye aur vyāsajī ke caraṇoṃ meṃ mastaka jhukākar praṇāma karke kuruvaṃśī dhṛtarāṣṭra se bole—“kuruśreṣṭha! ab maiṃ āp se jāne kī ājñā cāhatā hūṃ. ab āp apane mana ko śokamagna na kījiye. droṇaputra aśvatthāmā ke mana meṃ pāpapūrṇa saṅkalpa udita huā hai. isīliye maiṃ sahasā uṭh gayā hūṃ. usane rāta ko sote samaya pāṇḍavoṃ ke vadha kā vicāra kiyā hai”
Then, rising quickly, he bowed with his head to the feet (of the revered elder) and offered obeisance. Addressing the king, he continued: “O best of kings, I now seek your permission to depart. Do not let your mind sink into grief. A sinful resolve has arisen in the heart of Aśvatthāmā, the son of Droṇa; that is why I have risen at once. In the night, while others sleep, he has conceived the thought of killing the Pāṇḍavas.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts reverence and restraint with the rise of a wicked intention: one should honor elders and seek rightful permission, yet remain vigilant when adharma (a sinful resolve) appears—especially when violence is planned against the defenseless (those asleep).
A narrator reports that the speaker rises abruptly, bows at the feet of the revered elder (Vyāsa), and addresses King Dhṛtarāṣṭra to request leave. He urges the king not to drown in grief and warns that Aśvatthāmā has formed a sinful plan to kill the Pāṇḍavas at night while they sleep.