संजय उवाच
दुर्योधनेनैवम् उक्तो द्रौणिर् आहवदुर्मदः ॥
प्रत्युवाच महाबाहो यथा वदसि कौरव ॥
प्रिया हि पाण्डवा नित्यं मम चापि पितुश् च मे ॥
तथैवावां प्रियौ तेषां न तु युद्धे कुरूद्वह ॥
शक्तितस् तात युध्यामस् त्यक्त्वा प्राणान् अभीतवत् ॥
अहं कर्णश् च शल्यश् च कृपो हार्दिक्य एव च ॥
निमेषात् पाण्डवीं सेनां क्षपयेम नृपोत्तम ॥
ते चापि कौरवीं सेनां निमेषार्धात् कुरूद्वह ॥
क्षपयेयुर् महाबाहो न स्याम यदि संयुगे ॥
saṃjaya uvāca
duryodhanenaivam ukto drauṇir āhavadurmadaḥ ||
pratyuvāca mahābāho yathā vadasi kaurava ||
priyā hi pāṇḍavā nityaṃ mama cāpi pituś ca me ||
tathaivāvāṃ priyau teṣāṃ na tu yuddhe kurūdvaha ||
śaktitas tāta yudhyāmas tyaktvā prāṇān abhītavat ||
ahaṃ karṇaś ca śalyaś ca kṛpo hārdikya eva ca ||
nimeṣāt pāṇḍavīṃ senāṃ kṣapayema nṛpottama ||
te cāpi kauravīṃ senāṃ nimeṣārdhāt kurūdvaha ||
kṣapayeyur mahābāho na syāma yadi saṃyuge ||
Thus addressed by Duryodhana, Drauni, furious in battle, the mighty-armed one, replied: 'Let it be as you say, Kaurava. For the Pandavas are always dear to me and to my father, and likewise we two are dear to them — but not in battle, O exalter of the Kurus. I, Karna, and Shalya, Kripa and Hardikya, would destroy the host of the Pandavas in a moment, O best of kings; and they, too, would destroy the host of the Kauravas in half a moment, mighty-armed one, were we not present in the clash.'
ee8baafb2286 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:40:45 PM UTC
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Ashvatthama reveals the bitter truth of war: 'the Pandavas are dear to me and my father, and we to them — but not in battle.' This split is telling: love and the duty of war are torn apart. The verse teaches that war severs even bonds of affection; and its tragedy is that those dear to one another, bound by mutual love, are forced to fight to the death — not from enmity of heart, but from the relentless logic of the sides that have divided them.