Shloka 55

Devanagari script

तमतथ्यभये मग्नो जये सक्तो युधिष्ठिर: । अश्वत्थामानमायोधे हतं दृष्टया महागजम्‌,युधिष्ठिर असत्यके भयमें डूबे होनेपर भी विजयमें आसक्त थे, अतः मालवनरेश इन्द्रवर्माके पर्वताकार महान्‌ गजराज अअभश्वत्थामाको भीमसेनके द्वारा युद्धस्थलमें मारा गया देख द्रोणाचार्यके पास जाकर वे उच्चस्वरसे इस प्रकार बोले--

Transliteration

tam atathyabhaye magno jaye sakto yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | aśvatthāmānam āyodhe hataṃ dṛṣṭvā mahāgajam ||

Translation

అసత్యభయంతో మునిగిపోయినప్పటికీ యుధిష్ఠిరుడు విజయాసక్తుడయ్యాడు. యుద్ధభూమిలో ‘అశ్వత్థామ’ అనే మహాగజం హతమైందని చూసి ద్రోణాచార్యుని దగ్గరకు వెళ్లి గట్టిగా ఇలా పలికాడు.

Word by Word

तम्him

तथ्यभयेin the fear of truth

मग्नःimmersed, sunk

जयेin victory

सक्तःattached, intent

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

अश्वत्थामानम्Aśvatthāman

आयोधेfight!

हतम्slain

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

महागजम्the great elephant

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kṛpa

Yudhiṣṭhira

Droṇācārya

Aśvatthāman (elephant)

battlefield

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the compulsions of war can push even a truth-oriented person toward ethically compromised speech. It foregrounds the tension between dharma (truthfulness) and artha/strategy (winning), showing how attachment to victory can cloud moral clarity.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the elephant named Aśvatthāman is killed on the battlefield, Yudhiṣṭhira approaches Droṇācārya and speaks loudly—an action that functions as a tactical move to affect Droṇa’s state of mind, since Droṇa is deeply bound to his son Aśvatthāman.