Shloka 42
ते द्रोणपुत्रमासाद्य यथावृत्तं नयवेदयन्
te droṇaputram āsādya yathāvṛttaṃ nyavedayan |
Sañjaya said: Those messengers approached Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāmā) and reported to him, exactly as it had occurred, the full account—how Bhīmasena conducted himself in the mace-fight and how the king was struck down. Grief-stricken by what they had conveyed, they remained for a long while sunk in anxious thought; then, their minds overwhelmed by sorrow and distress, they departed as they had come.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the moral weight of wartime conduct persists beyond the battlefield: actions in combat (especially those seen as improper) generate grief, agitation, and further escalation. It underscores the ethical scrutiny of kṣatriya behavior and the psychological consequences of adharma-perceived acts.
Messengers arrive to Aśvatthāmā and narrate the events of the mace-duel—Bhīma’s manner of fighting and the king’s being brought down. After delivering the report, they remain absorbed in sorrowful reflection for a time and then depart, leaving Aśvatthāmā with the grim news.