Shloka 18
संजय उवाच तं शयानं कुरुश्रेष्ठ ततो भरतसत्तम । अश्वत्थामा समालोक्य करुणं पर्यदेवयत्,संजय कहते हैं--भरतश्रेष्ठ! तदनन्तर कुरुकुल-भूषण दुर्योधनको रणशय्यापर पड़ा देख अश्वत्थामा इस प्रकार करुण विलाप करने लगा--
sañjaya uvāca
taṁ śayānaṁ kuruśreṣṭha tato bharatasattama |
aśvatthāmā samālokya karuṇaṁ paryadevayat ||
Sañjaya nói: “Hỡi bậc ưu tú nhất trong dòng Kuru, hỡi đấng tối thượng của nhà Bharata—rồi sau đó, thấy Duryodhana, niềm trang sức của tộc Kuru, nằm trên chiếc giường chiến địa, Aśvatthāmā nhìn ông và bắt đầu than khóc trong lòng thương xót sâu xa.”
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.