Shloka 18
अध्याय ९ — दुर्योधनस्य अन्त्यावस्था, विलापः, तथा सौप्तिक-प्रतिवृत्तम्
Duryodhana’s Final Condition, Lamentation, and the Night’s Report
संजय उवाच तं शयानं कुरुश्रेष्ठ ततो भरतसत्तम । अश्वत्थामा समालोक्य करुणं पर्यदेवयत्
sañjaya uvāca
taṁ śayānaṁ kuruśreṣṭha tato bharatasattama |
aśvatthāmā samālokya karuṇaṁ paryadevayat ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik di antara keturunan Bharata! Kemudian, melihat Duryodhana—perhiasan wangsa Kuru—terbaring di ranjang pertempuran, Aśvatthāmā memandangnya dan meratap dengan belas kasih yang mendalam.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the moral atmosphere after catastrophic violence: even among warriors, the sight of a fallen leader evokes karuṇā (compassion) and śoka (grief), reminding the listener that victory in adharma-tinged conflict culminates in suffering and lamentation rather than true flourishing.
Sañjaya continues his report to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Aśvatthāmā comes upon Duryodhana lying wounded on the battlefield (as if on a ‘bed’), looks at him, and begins a sorrowful lament—setting the emotional and ethical tone for the ensuing events of the Sauptika Parva.