Shloka 96
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
किमहं कातरो द्रौणे पृूथगजन इवाहवे
kim ahaṃ kātaro drauṇe pṛthagjana ivāhave
Sañjaya said: “Why should I be fearful before Drauṇi in battle, like an ordinary, untrained man?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line contrasts the mindset of a resolute warrior with that of a “pṛthagjana” (ordinary person): in the dharmic frame of battlefield duty, fear is treated as a lapse from one’s role and training, and courage is upheld as a necessary ethical discipline.
Sañjaya, narrating the events of the war, voices a rhetorical challenge to fear: he asks why he should tremble before Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman) in the midst of combat, implying confidence and the expectation of steadfastness amid the terrors of Drona-parvan’s fighting.