Shloka 2
Aśvatthāmā’s Buddhi-Doctrine and Nocturnal Incursion Resolve (अश्वत्थाम्नः बुद्धिविचारः सौप्तिकसंकल्पश्च)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत सौप्तिकपर्वमें अश्वत्थामा और कृपाचार्यका संवादविषयक दूसरा अध्याय पूरा हुआ
dahyāmānas tu śokena pradīptenāgninā yathā | krūraṃ manas tataḥ kṛtvā tāv ubhau pratyabhāṣata ||
प्रदीप्त अग्नीने जळणाऱ्यासारखा तो शोकाने दग्ध झाला; मग मन कठोर करून त्या दोघांना—कृप आणि कृतवर्मा—यांना संबोधून बोलला.
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense grief can transform into hardness and cruelty, warning that unchecked sorrow may become a catalyst for unethical action—especially in the volatile aftermath of war.
In the Sauptika Parva setting, the speaker describes a figure (contextually Aśvatthāmā) burning with grief and, after hardening his mind, addressing Kṛpa and Kṛtavarman—an emotional pivot that precedes decisive, morally charged speech and action.