Shloka 10
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
स तदाज्ञाय दुष्टात्मा पितुर्वचनमप्रियम् । निराश: सर्वकल्याणै: शोकात् पर्यचरन्महीम्,'पिताके इस अप्रिय वचनको सुन और समझकर दृष्टात्मा द्रोणपुत्र सब प्रकारके कल्याणकी आशा छोड़ बैठा और बड़े शोकसे पृथ्वीपर विचरने लगा
sa tadājñāya duṣṭātmā pitur vacanam apriyam | nirāśaḥ sarvakalyāṇaiḥ śokāt paryacaran mahīm ||
Having understood that unwelcome command of his father, the wicked-souled son of Droṇa abandoned all hope of auspicious outcomes and, overwhelmed by grief, wandered over the earth. The verse underscores how a mind bent toward wrongdoing, when checked by rightful counsel, can collapse into despair rather than turn toward restraint and ethical repair.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical contrast: when confronted with rightful but unpleasant counsel, a corrupted disposition may respond not with repentance and self-restraint but with despair and agitation. It suggests that inner character determines whether admonition becomes a doorway to reform or a trigger for further moral collapse.
After hearing and understanding his father's unwelcome words, Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāman loses hope of any auspicious outcome. Stricken with grief, he roams about the land, indicating a troubled, unsettled state that foreshadows further actions in the Sauptika narrative.