Shloka 126
त॑ हतं संयुगे कश्चिदस्मै शंसतु मानव: । “मेरा विश्वास है कि अश्वत्थामाके मारे जानेपर ये युद्ध नहीं कर सकते। कोई मनुष्य उनसे जाकर कहे कि *युद्धमें अश्वत्थामा मारा गया'
taṁ hataṁ saṁyuge kaścid asmai śaṁsatu mānavaḥ |
Sañjaya said: “Let some man go and report to him that Aśvatthāmā has been slain in battle. I am convinced that, once he hears Aśvatthāmā is dead, he will no longer be able to continue this war.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare can pressure people into ethically fraught tactics—here, using a report of death as a strategic tool—raising questions about dharma, truthfulness, and the moral cost of victory.
Sañjaya reports a plan to send someone to tell a key warrior that Aśvatthāmā has been killed in battle, believing that this news will break his resolve and make him unable to continue fighting.