Shloka 69
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
पाण्डवाश्व यथा मुक्तास्तथो भौ माधवीौ युधि । कृपश्च कृतवर्मा च भारद्वाजस्य चात्मज:,पाँचों पाण्डव, दोनों मधुवंशी वीर श्रीकृष्ण और सात्यकि, कृपाचार्य, कृतवर्मा और अश्वत्थामा--ये युद्धस्थलसे किस प्रकार जीवित बच गये?
pāṇḍavāś ca yathā muktās tathobhau mādhavau yudhi | kṛpaś ca kṛtavarmā ca bhāradvājasya cātmajaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «¿Cómo escaparon con vida del campo de batalla los cinco Pāṇḍavas? ¿Y cómo sobrevivieron en medio de la guerra los dos héroes mādhavas—Kṛṣṇa y Sātyaki? ¿Y cómo lograron también salir con vida Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā y el hijo de Bhāradvāja (Aśvatthāmā)?»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a central ethical tension of the epic: in a war marked by massive destruction and frequent lapses into adharma, survival itself becomes a question demanding explanation—inviting reflection on the interplay of human agency (strategy, restraint, alliances) and larger forces (daiva/fate, divine protection).
Vaiśampāyana reports a query about the post-battle outcome: the listener asks by what means key figures—especially the Pāṇḍavas, Kṛṣṇa and Sātyaki, and the Kaurava-aligned survivors Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, and Aśvatthāmā—managed to escape alive from the battlefield.