Shloka 1456
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
दुर्गमां पदवीं गच्छन् पितुरासीद् गतज्वर: । नरेश्वर! अपने पिताके दुर्गगन पथपर चलता हुआ द्रोणकुमार अपनी प्रतिज्ञाके अनुसार सारा कार्य पूर्ण करके शोक और चिन्तासे रहित हो गया
durgamāṁ padavīṁ gacchan pitur āsīd gatajvaraḥ | nareśvara! apane pitāke durgama patha para calatā huā droṇakumāra apanī pratijñā ke anusāra sārā kārya pūrṇa karke śoka aura cintā se rahita ho gayā |
Sañjaya berkata: Saat ia menempuh jalan sukar menuju ayahnya, putra Droṇa terbebas dari gelora demam kegelisahan. Wahai raja, setelah menunaikan nazarnya dan menyelesaikan perbuatan itu, ia pun tanpa duka dan cemas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the unsettling moral psychology of violence: once a vow-driven act is completed, the doer may feel a deceptive calm (gata-jvara) even when the deed is ethically grievous. It invites reflection on how resolve and revenge can suppress remorse, and why dharma requires more than merely fulfilling a promise.
Sañjaya tells Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāmā, having carried out his vowed mission, proceeds on a difficult route toward his father Droṇa (or toward what he regards as his father’s cause/legacy) and becomes free from agitation—no longer troubled by grief or anxiety after completing his intended action.