Shloka 826
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
अश्वत्थामा हते कर्णे किमभाषत संजय । संजय! थरनुर्वेद प्राप्त करनेकी इच्छावाले ब्राह्मण
Aśvatthāmā hate Karṇe kim abhāṣata Sañjaya? Sañjaya! Dhanurveda-prāptiṃ kartum icchantaḥ brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyāḥ vaiśyāś ca yasya buddhimataḥ Droṇaputrasya samīpam āgatya śikṣāṃ gṛhṇanti, yaḥ sundara-rūpa-sampannaḥ yuvā darśanīyaḥ mahāyaśasvī ca, sa Aśvatthāmā Karṇasya māraṇe sati kim uvāca?
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「サンジャヤよ、カルナが討たれたとき、アシュヴァッターマは何と言ったのか。サンジャヤ――弓術の学（ダヌルヴェーダ）を究めんとするバラモン、クシャトリヤ、ヴァイシャらが教えを乞うて集う、賢きドローナの子アシュヴァッターマ。姿は端麗、若く、目を奪う威容を備え、名声も高い。その彼はカルナの死に際して何を口にしたのか。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of a warrior’s death by shifting attention from mere event to moral-psychological response: how a renowned kṣatriya-teacher (Aśvatthāmā) reacts when a great hero (Karṇa) falls. It also highlights the ideal of disciplined martial learning (dhanurveda) sought across varṇas, implying that power and fame should be guided by discernment.
Vaiśampāyana, continuing the war narrative, asks Sañjaya to report Aśvatthāmā’s words after Karṇa has been killed. The verse introduces Aśvatthāmā with a brief encomium—wise, famous, and a sought-after instructor in archery—before posing the question about his immediate speech/reaction to Karṇa’s death.