Mahabharata 9.65.3 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 65, Shloka 3
त्वरिता जवनैरश्वैरायोधनमुपागमन् । संजय कहते हैं--राजन! संदेशवाहकोंके मुखसे दुर्योधनके मारे जानेका समाचार सुनकर मरनेसे बचे हुए कौरव महारथी अश्वत्थामा
sañjaya uvāca | tvaritā javanair aśvair āyodhanam upāgaman | tatrāpaśyan mahātmānaṃ dhārtarāṣṭraṃ nipātitam |
Dijo Sañjaya: Oh Rey, cuando los grandes guerreros Kaurava que habían sobrevivido—Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa y Kṛtavarmā del linaje Sātvata—oyeron de los mensajeros que Duryodhana había sido abatido, aunque ellos mismos estaban gravemente heridos por golpes de flechas agudas, mazas, lanzas y jabalinas, montaron con presteza carros uncidos a caballos veloces y se apresuraron al campo de batalla. Al llegar, vieron al magnánimo hijo de Dhṛtarāṣṭra yacer derribado—como un poderoso árbol śāla del bosque, quebrado y arrojado al suelo por la fuerza del viento—empapado en sangre y retorciéndose sobre la tierra, como un enorme elefante abatido por un cazador en lo salvaje; hundido en un torrente de sangre, se volvía una y otra vez.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical cost of war: victory and defeat alike culminate in suffering, and even those called ‘great-souled’ can be brought low. It also shows how attachment—loyalty to one’s side and the pull of vengeance—can propel survivors forward even when dharma would counsel restraint and reflection.
After hearing from messengers that Duryodhana has been struck down, the remaining Kaurava leaders—Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa, and Kṛtavarmā—rush by chariot to the battlefield. There they see Duryodhana lying felled and bleeding, compared to a great tree broken by wind and a huge elephant killed by a hunter.
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