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?
ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ສັນຊະຍະ, ເມື່ອກັນນະຖືກສັງຫານແລ້ວ ອັສວັດຖາມາ ໄດ້ເວົ້າຫຍັງ? ສັນຊະຍະ—ອັສວັດຖາມາ ບຸດຂອງ ໂດຣນະ ຜູ້ສະຫລາດ, ຜູ້ທີ່ພຣາຫມັນ, ກະສັດຕະຣິຍະ ແລະ ໄວຊະຍະ ຜູ້ປາຖະໜາຈະຊໍານານວິຊາທະນູຣະເວດ ພາກັນມາຮຽນຮູ້ຈາກເຂົາ—ຜູ້ມີຮູບງາມ, ໜຸ່ມແນ່ນ, ເຫັນແລ້ວສະດຸດຕາ, ແລະມີຊື່ສຽງຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່—ເຂົາໄດ້ກ່າວຫຍັງເມື່ອກັນນະຕາຍ?»
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.