Shloka 41
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
इधर रथसेनामें शत्रुदमन दुर्योधनको न देखकर अश्व॒त्थामा, कृपाचार्य और सात्वतवंशी कृतवर्माने समस्त क्षत्रियोंसे पूछा--“राजा दुर्योधन कहाँ चले गये? ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
idhara ratha-senāyāṁ śatru-damanaṁ duryodhanaṁ na dṛṣṭvā aśvatthāmā kṛpācāryaś ca sātvata-vaṁśī kṛtavarmā ca samastaiḥ kṣatriyaiḥ papracchuḥ— “rājā duryodhanaḥ kva gataḥ?” ||
te ’paśyamānā rājānaṁ vartamāne jana-kṣaye |
manvānā nihataṁ tatra tava putraṁ mahā-rathāḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Al no ver a Duryodhana—sojuzgador de enemigos—en el ejército de carros, Aśvatthāmā, el preceptor Kṛpa y Kṛtavarmā de la estirpe Sātvata preguntaron a todos los kṣatriya: «¿Adónde ha ido el rey Duryodhana?» Y como no hallaban al rey en medio de la matanza que continuaba, aquellos grandes guerreros de carro empezaron a sospechar que tu hijo había sido abatido allí.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the chaos of war, even the mightiest are subject to uncertainty and fear; attachment to power and identity collapses before the reality of mass destruction (jana-kṣaya), reminding readers of the fragility of worldly status and the grave ethical cost of conflict.
After intense fighting, Aśvatthāmā, Kr̥pa, and Kr̥tavarmā cannot locate Duryodhana in the chariot formations. They question the surrounding kṣatriyas and, seeing the battlefield’s devastation, begin to suspect that Duryodhana has been killed.