Shloka 18
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Bereavement and the Averted Assault on Bhīma (Āyasī Pratimā Episode)
इत्येवमुक्त्वा राजानं कृत्वा चाभिप्रदक्षिणम् कृपश्च कृतवर्मा च द्रोणपुत्रश्च भारत,भारत! राजासे ऐसा कहकर उनकी प्रदक्षिणा करके कृपाचार्य, कृतवर्मा और अश्वृत्थामाने मनीषी राजा धृतराष्ट्रकी ओर देखते हुए तुरंत ही गंगातटकी ओर अपने घोड़े हॉँक दिये
ity evam uktvā rājānaṃ kṛtvā cābhipradakṣiṇam | kṛpaś ca kṛtavarmā ca droṇaputraś ca bhārata ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having spoken thus to the king, and having respectfully circumambulated him, Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, and Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāman)—O Bhārata—at once drove their horses toward the bank of the Gaṅgā, casting their gaze toward the wise king Dhṛtarāṣṭra. The scene underscores a formal gesture of deference even amid the moral turbulence of war’s aftermath, where outward respect coexists with impending, ethically fraught action.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in times of moral collapse and violent aftermath, traditional acts of respect (like abhipradakṣiṇā) remain markers of social and ethical order; the verse highlights the tension between outward propriety and the ominous trajectory of subsequent deeds.
After addressing the king (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) and performing a respectful circumambulation, Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, and Aśvatthāman immediately depart, driving their horses toward the Gaṅgā’s bank, indicating swift movement toward the next stage of events.