युध्यतां पाण्डवाञ् शक्त्या तेषां चास्मान् युयुत्सताम् ॥
तेजस् तु तेज आसाद्य प्रशमं याति भारत ॥
अशक्या तरसा जेतुं पाण्डवानाम् अनीकिनी ॥
जीवत्सु पाण्डुपुत्रेषु तद् धि सत्यं ब्रवीमि ते ॥
आत्मार्थं युध्यमानास् ते समर्थाः पाण्डुनन्दनाः ॥
किमर्थं तव सैन्यानि न हनिष्यन्ति भारत ॥
त्वं हि लुब्धतमो राजन् निकृतिज्ञश् च कौरव ॥
सर्वातिशङ्की मानी च ततो ऽस्मान् अतिशङ्कसे ॥
yudhyatāṃ pāṇḍavāñ śaktyā teṣāṃ cāsmān yuyutsatām ||
tejas tu teja āsādya praśamaṃ yāti bhārata ||
aśakyā tarasā jetuṃ pāṇḍavānām anīkinī ||
jīvatsu pāṇḍuputreṣu tad dhi satyaṃ bravīmi te ||
ātmārthaṃ yudhyamānās te samarthāḥ pāṇḍunandanāḥ ||
kimarthaṃ tava sainyāni na haniṣyanti bhārata ||
tvaṃ hi lubdhatamo rājan nikṛtijñaś ca kaurava ||
sarvātiśaṅkī mānī ca tato 'smān atiśaṅkase ||
'The Pandavas fighting to the measure of their strength, and them desiring to fight with us — but heat, meeting equal heat, comes to extinguishing, O Bharata. It is impossible to overcome swiftly the host of the Pandavas while the sons of Pandu are alive — that is the truth I tell you. Fighting for themselves, the sons of Pandu are capable; why will your troops not slay them, O Bharata? For you are the greediest, O king, and skilled in intrigue, Kaurava, suspicious of all and haughty — therefore you suspect us too.'
d1498359652d · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:40:45 PM UTC
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Ashvatthama pronounces a truth about equal strength: 'heat, meeting heat, dies down' — matched powers neutralize each other. His direct rebuke of the king is telling: 'you are the greediest, suspicious of all, and so you suspect us too.' The verse teaches that the suspicion of one who is himself unrighteous poisons even the loyal; and one who is himself cunning measures others by his own measure, distrusting even the devoted, for he sees his own deceit reflected in others.