Shloka 50

Devanagari script

अश्वृत्थामेति विख्यातो गज: शक्रगजोपम: । निहतो युधि विक्रम्य ततो*हं द्रोणमब्रुवम्‌,वे दोनों इस प्रकार बातें कर ही रहे थे कि भीमसेन बोल उठे--“महाराज! महामना द्रोणके वधका ऐसा उपाय सुनकर मैंने आपकी सेनामें विचरनेवाले मालवनरेश इन्द्रवर्माके अश्वत्थामानामसे विख्यात गजराजको, जो ऐरावतके समान शक्तिशाली था, युद्धमें पराक्रम करके मार डाला। फिर द्रोणाचार्यके पास जाकर कहा--'ब्रह्मन्‌! अश्व॒त्थामा मारा गया, अब युद्धसे निवृत्त हो जाइये।” परंतु इन पुरुषप्रवर द्रोणने निश्चय ही मेरी बातपर विश्वास नहीं किया है

Transliteration

aśvatthāmeti vikhyāto gajaḥ śakragajopamaḥ | nihato yudhi vikramya tato 'haṃ droṇam abruvam |

Translation

Sanjaya berkata: “Gajah perkasa yang termasyhur bernama ‘Ashvatthama’, sebanding dengan gajah Indra, telah dibunuh di medan perang setelah pertunjukan keberanian. Lalu aku mendatangi Drona dan berkata, ‘Wahai Brahmana, Ashvatthama telah terbunuh; kini undurkan diri dari pertempuran.’”

Word by Word

अश्वत्थामाAshvatthama

इतिthus/so (quotative)

विख्यातःrenowned, known as

गजःelephant

शक्रगजोपमःcomparable to Indra's elephant (Airavata)

निहतःslain

युधिin battle

विक्रम्यhaving advanced/stridden forth (with prowess)

ततःthen/thereupon

अहम्I

द्रोणम्Drona

अब्रुवम्I said/spoke

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa (Droṇācārya)

Aśvatthāman (name used for the elephant)

Śakra (Indra)

Indra’s elephant (Airāvata, implied by comparison)

Elephant (gaja)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral strain of war: even when words are technically true (an elephant named Aśvatthāman is killed), they can be deployed to mislead and manipulate. It raises questions about dharma under extreme necessity—whether strategic deception can ever be justified, and what inner cost it carries.

What is happening in the narrative?

A powerful elephant known as ‘Aśvatthāman’ is killed. Using this fact, the speaker approaches Droṇa and declares ‘Aśvatthāman is slain,’ intending Droṇa to understand it as the death of his son and thereby lose the will to fight.