Shloka 826
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
अश्वत्थामा हते कर्णे किमभाषत संजय । संजय! थरनुर्वेद प्राप्त करनेकी इच्छावाले ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय और वैश्य जिस बुद्धिमान् द्रोणपुत्रके पास आकर शिक्षा ग्रहण करते हैं, जो सुन्दर रूपसे सम्पन्न, युवक, दर्शनीय तथा महायशस्वी है, उस अश्वत्थामाने कर्णके मारे जानेपर क्या कहा?
Aśvatthāmā hate Karṇe kim abhāṣata Sañjaya? Sañjaya! Dhanurveda-prāptiṃ kartum icchantaḥ brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyāḥ vaiśyāś ca yasya buddhimataḥ Droṇaputrasya samīpam āgatya śikṣāṃ gṛhṇanti, yaḥ sundara-rūpa-sampannaḥ yuvā darśanīyaḥ mahāyaśasvī ca, sa Aśvatthāmā Karṇasya māraṇe sati kim uvāca?
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Cuando Karṇa hubo sido muerto, ¿qué dijo Aśvatthāmā, oh Sañjaya? Sañjaya: Aśvatthāmā, el sabio hijo de Droṇa, a quien acuden brahmanes, kṣatriyas y vaiśyas deseosos de dominar la ciencia del arco (Dhanurveda) para recibir instrucción—hermoso de figura, joven, imponente a la vista y de gran renombre—¿qué pronunció ante la muerte de Karṇa?»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of a warrior’s death by shifting attention from mere event to moral-psychological response: how a renowned kṣatriya-teacher (Aśvatthāmā) reacts when a great hero (Karṇa) falls. It also highlights the ideal of disciplined martial learning (dhanurveda) sought across varṇas, implying that power and fame should be guided by discernment.
Vaiśampāyana, continuing the war narrative, asks Sañjaya to report Aśvatthāmā’s words after Karṇa has been killed. The verse introduces Aśvatthāmā with a brief encomium—wise, famous, and a sought-after instructor in archery—before posing the question about his immediate speech/reaction to Karṇa’s death.