Shloka 5
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
स गदामुद्यतां दृष्टवा ज्वलन्तीमशनीमिव । अपाक्रामद् रथोपस्थाद् विक्रमांस्त्रीन् नरर्षभ:,प्रजजलित वज़्के समान उस गदाको ऊपर उठी हुई देख नरश्रेष्ठ अश्वत्थामा अपने रथकी बैठकसे तीन पग पीछे हट गया
sa gadām udyatāṃ dṛṣṭvā jvalantīm aśanīm iva | apākrāmad rathopasthād vikramāṃs trīn nararṣabhaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing that mace raised aloft, blazing like a thunderbolt, the bull among men—Aśvatthāmā—stepped back three paces from the seat of his chariot. The moment underscores how even the fiercest warriors, amid the moral chaos of war, must reckon with immediate peril and the limits of bravado when confronted by overwhelming force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined realism in battle: true valor is not blind recklessness. Even an elite warrior recognizes imminent danger and adjusts position, showing that prudence and self-preservation can coexist with martial duty.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāmā seeing an opponent’s mace lifted to strike, shining like a thunderbolt. In response, he withdraws three steps from the chariot-seat, creating distance to avoid the immediate blow.