Mahabharata 7.203.49 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 203, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

त॑ं द्रौणिरग्रतो दृष्टवा स्थितं कुरुकुलोद्वह । सन्नकण्ठोडब्रवीद्‌ वाक्यमभिवाद्य सुदीनवत्‌

Transliteration

taṁ drauṇir agrato dṛṣṭvā sthitaṁ kurukulodvaha | sannakaṇṭho ’bravīd vākyam abhivādya sudīnavat ||

Translation

โอ้ผู้ประเสริฐแห่งวงศ์กุรุ เมื่อบุตรแห่งโทรณะเห็นมหาฤๅษีวยาสะยืนอยู่ตรงหน้า ลำคอก็สะอื้นจนพูดแทบไม่ออก เขาก้มกราบด้วยความนอบน้อมยิ่ง แล้วกล่าวถ้อยคำด้วยความอ่อนน้อมและสิ้นหวัง

Word by Word

• {'taṁ': 'him (accusative singular)', 'drauṇiḥ': 'the son of Droṇa

• Aśvatthāmā', 'agrataḥ': 'in front

• before (him)', 'dṛṣṭvā': 'having seen', 'sthitaṁ': 'standing

• stationed', 'kurukulodvaha': 'O best/foremost of the Kuru lineage (vocative address)', 'sanna-kaṇṭhaḥ': 'with throat choked (with emotion/tears)', 'abravīt': 'said

• spoke', 'vākyam': 'words

• a statement', 'abhivādya': 'having saluted

• having bowed respectfully', 'su-dīna-vat': 'like one very dejected

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā)
• Droṇa
• Vyāsa
• Kuru lineage

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in the midst of warfare, dharma asserts itself through reverence and self-reflection: a warrior’s power is morally incomplete without humility before spiritual wisdom, especially when one is burdened by grief or guilt.

What is happening in the narrative?

Aśvatthāmā sees the sage Vyāsa standing before him. Overcome with emotion, he bows respectfully and speaks in a subdued, sorrowful tone, indicating a turning point where he seeks guidance rather than acting from sheer martial impulse.