Shloka 41
त॑ द्रौणि: समरे क्रुद्धं छादयामास पत्रिभि: । विव्याध चैनं दशभि: पितुर्वधमनुस्मरन्,अपने पिताके वधका बारंबार स्मरण करते हुए अश्वत्थामाने भी समरांगणमें कुपित हुए धृष्टद्युम्नको बाणोंद्वारा आच्छादित कर दिया और दस बाणोंसे मारकर उसे गहरी चोट पहुँचायी
taṁ drauṇiḥ samare kruddhaṁ chādayāmāsa patribhiḥ | vivyādha cainaṁ daśabhiḥ pitur-vadham anusmaran |
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, Aśvatthāmā—Drona’s son—remembering again and again the slaying of his father, grew wrathful and covered the enraged Dhṛṣṭadyumna with a shower of arrows; then he pierced him with ten shafts, inflicting a grievous wound. The scene underscores how personal grief and the urge for retribution can intensify violence and eclipse restraint in war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how remembrance of personal loss (pitur-vadha) can fuel anger and revenge, escalating cruelty in war; it implicitly warns that grief-driven retaliation can overpower discernment and restraint, even within the framework of kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya narrates that Aśvatthāmā, enraged while recalling his father Droṇa’s killing, overwhelms Dhṛṣṭadyumna with a barrage of arrows and then strikes him with ten more, causing a severe wound.