Shloka 40
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
अश्वत्थामा कृपश्चैव कृतवर्मा च सात्वत: । अपृच्छन क्षत्रियांस्तत्र क्व नु दुर्योधनो गत:
aśvatthāmā kṛpaś caiva kṛtavarmā ca sātvatāḥ | apṛcchan kṣatriyāṁs tatra kva nu duryodhano gataḥ ||
അശ്വത്ഥാമാവും കൃപനും സാത്വതവംശജനായ കൃതവർമ്മനും അവിടെയുള്ള ക്ഷത്രിയരോടു ചോദിച്ചു—“ദുര്യോധനൻ എവിടേക്കു പോയി?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid chaos, people cling to leadership and factional loyalty; the verse subtly highlights how dependence on a commander persists even when the moral order (dharma) has been strained by war and ambition.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa, and Kṛtavarmā are searching for Duryodhana by questioning the kṣatriya fighters present, trying to locate where their leader has gone.