Shloka 49

Devanagari script

त॑ं द्रौणिरग्रतो दृष्टवा स्थितं कुरुकुलोद्वह । सन्नकण्ठोडब्रवीद्‌ वाक्यमभिवाद्य सुदीनवत्‌,कुरुकुलके श्रेष्ठ पुरुष! महर्षि व्यासको सामने खड़ा देख द्रोणकुमारका गला आँसुओंसे भर आया। उसने अत्यन्त दीनभावसे प्रणाम करके उनसे इस प्रकार पूछा --

Transliteration

taṁ drauṇir agrato dṛṣṭvā sthitaṁ kurukulodvaha | sannakaṇṭho ’bravīd vākyam abhivādya sudīnavat ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing him standing before him—O foremost of the Kuru line—Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāmā) became choked with emotion. After bowing in reverence, he spoke in a deeply humbled, despondent manner, addressing the venerable sage Vyāsa. The scene underscores how, amid the harshness of war, reverence for spiritual authority and the weight of one’s deeds can break through pride and aggression, compelling a warrior to seek counsel with humility.

Word by Word

• {'taṁ': 'him (accusative singular)', 'drauṇiḥ': 'the son of Droṇa

• Aśvatthāmā', 'agrataḥ': 'in front

• before (him)', 'dṛṣṭvā': 'having seen', 'sthitaṁ': 'standing

• stationed', 'kurukulodvaha': 'O best/foremost of the Kuru lineage (vocative address)', 'sanna-kaṇṭhaḥ': 'with throat choked (with emotion/tears)', 'abravīt': 'said

• spoke', 'vākyam': 'words

• a statement', 'abhivādya': 'having saluted

• having bowed respectfully', 'su-dīna-vat': 'like one very dejected

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā)
• Droṇa
• Vyāsa
• Kuru lineage

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in the midst of warfare, dharma asserts itself through reverence and self-reflection: a warrior’s power is morally incomplete without humility before spiritual wisdom, especially when one is burdened by grief or guilt.

What is happening in the narrative?

Aśvatthāmā sees the sage Vyāsa standing before him. Overcome with emotion, he bows respectfully and speaks in a subdued, sorrowful tone, indicating a turning point where he seeks guidance rather than acting from sheer martial impulse.