Shloka 39
अथ द्रौणिरम॑हेष्वास: पाण्ड्यं शत्रुनिबर्हणम् । विरथं रथिनां श्रेष्ठ नाहनद् युद्धकाड्क्षया,इधर महाथधनुर्धर अश्व॒त्थामाने शत्रुसंहारक, रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ पाण्ड्यको रथहीन करके भी उनका वध इसलिये नहीं किया कि वह उनके साथ अभी युद्ध करना चाहता था
atha drauṇir amaheṣvāsaḥ pāṇḍyaṃ śatrunibarhaṇam | virathaṃ rathināṃ śreṣṭha nāhanad yuddhakāṅkṣayā ||
Sañjaya said: Then Droṇa’s son, Aśvatthāman—an unrivalled archer—struck down Pāṇḍya, that crusher of foes, and deprived the foremost of chariot-warriors of his chariot. Yet he did not kill him, for he still desired to engage him in battle. The moment underscores a warrior’s deliberate restraint: even amid lethal combat, the choice to prolong a worthy contest can override the immediate opportunity to slay a vulnerable opponent.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, a warrior’s choices can reflect values beyond mere victory—such as restraint, honor, and the wish to face an opponent in a ‘proper’ contest rather than killing him at a moment of helplessness.
Aśvatthāman disables Pāṇḍya by making him chariotless, but refrains from killing him immediately because he wants to continue fighting him, treating him as a worthy opponent.