धिग् अस्तु मम लुब्धस्य यत्कृते सर्वबान्धवाः ॥
सुखार्हाः परमं दुःखं प्राप्नुवन्त्य् अपराजिताः ॥
को हि शस्त्रभृतां मुख्यो महेश्वरसमो युधि ॥
शत्रून् न क्षपयेच् छक्तो यो न स्याद् गौतमीसुतः ॥
अश्वत्थामन् प्रसीदस्व नाशयैतान् ममाहितान् ॥
तवास्त्रगोचरे शक्ताः स्थातुं देवापि नानघ ॥
पाञ्चालान् सोमकांश् चैव जहि द्रौणे सहानुगान् ॥
वयं शेषान् हनिष्यामस् त्वयैव परिरक्षिताः ॥
dhig astu mama lubdhasya yatkṛte sarvabāndhavāḥ ||
sukhārhāḥ paramaṃ duḥkhaṃ prāpnuvanty aparājitāḥ ||
ko hi śastrabhṛtāṃ mukhyo maheśvarasamo yudhi ||
śatrūn na kṣapayec chakto yo na syād gautamīsutaḥ ||
aśvatthāman prasīdasva nāśayaitān mamāhitān ||
tavāstragocare śaktāḥ sthātuṃ devāpi nānagha ||
pāñcālān somakāṃś caiva jahi drauṇe sahānugān ||
vayaṃ śeṣān haniṣyāmas tvayaiva parirakṣitāḥ ||
'Or perhaps from my own ill fortune your valor is weak in battle, or perhaps for the sake of pleasing the King Dharma, or perhaps for Draupadi's sake -- I know it not. Shame on me, the greedy one, because of whom all my kinsmen, worthy of happiness, suffer the highest sorrow, though unconquered. For who, foremost of warriors, equal to Maheshvara in battle, being able, would not destroy the foes -- who, if not you, the son of Gautami? Ashvatthaman, be gracious, destroy these my enemies; within the reach of your astra, even the gods cannot withstand, O sinless one.'
2e426bf9de3b · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:40:45 PM UTC
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Having reproached him, Duryodhana at once pleads: 'be gracious, destroy my enemies.' Notable is the flash of repentance -- 'shame on me, the greedy one, because of whom my kinsmen grieve': guilt shows through the reproaches. The verse teaches that the unrighteous man wavers between blaming others and recognizing his own fault; and one who both repents and at once demands new deaths finds no way out -- for repentance without a change of course bears no fruit.