Shloka 55
तमतथ्यभये मग्नो जये सक्तो युधिष्ठिर: । अश्वत्थामानमायोधे हतं दृष्टया महागजम्,युधिष्ठिर असत्यके भयमें डूबे होनेपर भी विजयमें आसक्त थे, अतः मालवनरेश इन्द्रवर्माके पर्वताकार महान् गजराज अअभश्वत्थामाको भीमसेनके द्वारा युद्धस्थलमें मारा गया देख द्रोणाचार्यके पास जाकर वे उच्चस्वरसे इस प्रकार बोले--
tam atathyabhaye magno jaye sakto yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | aśvatthāmānam āyodhe hataṃ dṛṣṭvā mahāgajam ||
Walau tenggelam dalam takut karena kebohongan, Yudhiṣṭhira tetap terpaut pada kemenangan. Setelah melihat di medan laga gajah perkasa bernama Aśvatthāman telah tewas, ia mendatangi Droṇācārya dan berseru lantang demikian.
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the compulsions of war can push even a truth-oriented person toward ethically compromised speech. It foregrounds the tension between dharma (truthfulness) and artha/strategy (winning), showing how attachment to victory can cloud moral clarity.
After the elephant named Aśvatthāman is killed on the battlefield, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches Droṇācārya and speaks loudly—an action that functions as a tactical move to affect Droṇa’s state of mind, since Droṇa is deeply bound to his son Aśvatthāman.