Shloka 18
अध्याय ९ — दुर्योधनस्य अन्त्यावस्था, विलापः, तथा सौप्तिक-प्रतिवृत्तम्
Duryodhana’s Final Condition, Lamentation, and the Night’s Report
संजय उवाच तं शयानं कुरुश्रेष्ठ ततो भरतसत्तम । अश्वत्थामा समालोक्य करुणं पर्यदेवयत्
sañjaya uvāca
taṁ śayānaṁ kuruśreṣṭha tato bharatasattama |
aśvatthāmā samālokya karuṇaṁ paryadevayat ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: “O pinakamainam sa mga Kuru, O pinakadakila sa mga Bharata—pagkaraan, nang makita ni Aśvatthāmā si Duryodhana, ang hiyas ng angkan ng Kuru, na nakahandusay sa higaan ng digmaan sa larangan, minasdan niya ito at nagsimulang managhoy sa malalim na habag.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the moral atmosphere after catastrophic violence: even among warriors, the sight of a fallen leader evokes karuṇā (compassion) and śoka (grief), reminding the listener that victory in adharma-tinged conflict culminates in suffering and lamentation rather than true flourishing.
Sañjaya continues his report to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Aśvatthāmā comes upon Duryodhana lying wounded on the battlefield (as if on a ‘bed’), looks at him, and begins a sorrowful lament—setting the emotional and ethical tone for the ensuing events of the Sauptika Parva.