Shloka 29
न चाद्भुतमिदं मन्ये यद् द्रौणिर्युद्धसंज्ञया । घातयिष्यति कौरव्यान् परित्रातुमशक्नुवन्,मैं इसे कोई अद्भुत बात नहीं मान रहा हूँ; अश्वत्थामा इस युद्धके द्वारा कौरवोंको मरवा डालेगा; क्योंकि वह स्वयं उनकी रक्षा करनेमें असमर्थ है
na cādbhutam idaṃ manye yad drauṇir yuddhasaṃjñayā | ghātayiṣyati kauravyān paritrātum aśaknuvan ||
Dhṛṣṭadyumna said: “I do not regard this as anything astonishing—that Droṇa’s son, under the pretext of ‘war,’ will have the Kauravas slain, since he is unable to protect them himself.”
धष्टहुम्न उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical critique: violence can be carried out under the label of “war,” yet still be morally suspect when it serves as a pretext and when the agent cannot fulfill the protective duty expected of a warrior-leader.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna comments on Aśvatthāmā’s likely course of action: he foresees that Droṇa’s son will, in the name of warfare, bring about the killing of the Kauravas, because he is incapable of safeguarding them.