Shloka 39
द्रणेपुत्रस्ततो राजन् प्रत्यगात् स महामना: । राजन! तत्पश्चात् धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरके हट जानेपर फिर महामना द्रोणपुत्र अश्वत्थामा दूसरी ओर चला गया ।। ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजंस्त्यक्त्वा द्रौणिं महाहवे । प्रययौ तावकं सैन्यं युक्त: क्रूराय कर्मणे,नरेश्वर! फिर उस महायुद्धमें अश्वत्थामाको छोड़कर युधिष्ठिर पुनः क्रूरतापूर्ण कर्म करनेके लिये आपकी सेनाकी ओर बढ़े
drauneputras tato rājan pratyagāt sa mahāmanāḥ | rājan tatpaścāt dharmaputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ haṭ jānepar phir mahāmanā drauṇaputro ’śvatthāmā dūsarī or calā gayā || tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājan tyaktvā drauṇiṃ mahāhave | prayayau tāvakaṃ sainyaṃ yuktaḥ krūrāya karmaṇe ||
Then, O King, the high-souled son of Droṇa withdrew and moved away. After that, Dharma’s son Yudhiṣṭhira—leaving Aśvatthāmā aside in that great battle—advanced again toward your army, intent upon a harsh and grim deed. The verse underscores the moral pressure of war: even the righteous king is driven into actions he himself recognizes as cruel, compelled by the battlefield’s necessities and the demands of victory.
(युधिष्टिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical strain of warfare: even Yudhiṣṭhira, famed for dharma, becomes 'intent upon a cruel deed' when battle conditions demand decisive action. It frames cruelty not as virtue but as a tragic necessity that the righteous still recognize as morally weighty.
Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son) withdraws from the immediate engagement. Yudhiṣṭhira then stops focusing on him and advances toward the Kaurava forces, preparing to undertake a severe action in the course of the great battle.