Shloka 20
तवात्मज: सूतसुतश्न न व्यथां न विस्मयं जम्मतुरेकनिश्चयौ । देवताओं और मनुष्योंके साक्षित्वमें होनेवाले उस युद्धको देखकर समस्त प्राणी उस समय आश्चर्यसे चकित हो उठे; परंतु आपका पुत्र दिन और सूतपुत्र कर्ण--ये दोनों एक निश्चयपर पहुँच चुके थे; अतः इनके मनमें न तो व्यथा हुई और न ये विस्मयको ही प्राप्त हुए ।। अथाब्रवीद् द्रोणसुतस्तवात्मजं करं करेण प्रतिपीड्य सान्त्वयन्,तदनन्तर द्रोणकुमार अश्वत्थामाने दुर्योधनका हाथ अपने हाथसे दबाकर उसे सान्त्वना देते हुए कहा--'दुर्योधन! अब प्रसन्न हो जाओ। पाण्डवोंसे संधि कर लो। विरोधसे कोई लाभ नहीं है। आपसके इस झगड़ेको धिक्कार है! तुम्हारे गुरुदेव अस्त्रविद्याके महान् पण्डित थे। साक्षात् ब्रह्माजीके समान थे तो भी इस युद्धमें मारे गये। यही दशा भीष्म आदि महारथियोंकी भी हुई है
sañjaya uvāca |
tavātmajaḥ sūtasutaś ca na vyathāṃ na vismayaṃ jagmatur ekaniscayau |
devatānāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ ca sākṣitvena vartamānaṃ taṃ yuddhaṃ dṛṣṭvā sarvaprāṇinaḥ tadā āścaryeṇa cakitur abhavan; kintu tava putro duryodhanaḥ sūtaputraḥ karṇaś ca—etau dvāv ekaniscayau saṃprāptau; ataḥ tayor manasi na vyathā na ca vismayaḥ |
tad anantaram abravīd droṇasutaḥ tavātmajaṃ karaṃ kareṇa pratipīḍya sāntvayan—
“duryodhana, idānīṃ prasanno bhava; pāṇḍavaiḥ sandhiṃ kuru. virodhena na kiñcid lābhaḥ. asya kalahasyāpi dhig astu. tava gurudevāḥ astravidyāyāṃ mahāpaṇḍitāḥ sākṣād brahmā iva, tathāpi yuddhe hatāḥ. eṣā eva daśā bhīṣmādīnāṃ mahārathānām api jātā.”
Sanjaya said: Your son and the charioteer’s son (Karna), having reached a single, fixed resolve, felt neither anguish nor amazement. When all beings beheld that battle—witnessed, as it were, before gods and men—they were struck with wonder; yet Duryodhana and Karna remained unmoved, for their minds had settled on one determination. Then Drona’s son (Ashvatthama), pressing your son’s hand in his own and seeking to console him, said: “Duryodhana, be calm now. Make peace with the Pandavas. There is no gain in hostility. Shame on this quarrel! Your revered teachers were great masters of weapon-lore, like Brahma himself—yet they were slain in this war. The same fate has befallen even mighty chariot-warriors such as Bhishma.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the greatest warriors and teachers fall in war; therefore, stubborn hostility is ethically and practically futile. The passage elevates peace (sandhi) over pride-driven conflict, warning that fixed resolve without moral reflection can numb one to suffering and lead to ruin.
Sanjaya reports that while the wider world is astonished at the battle, Duryodhana and Karna remain steady due to a single-minded determination. Ashvatthama then takes Duryodhana’s hand and urges him to reconcile with the Pandavas, citing the deaths of Drona and Bhishma as proof that continued opposition brings no benefit.