गतः स वीरलोकाय पिता मम न संशयः ॥
न शोच्यः पुरुषव्याघ्रस् तथा स निधनं गतः ॥
यत् तु धर्मप्रवृत्तः सन् केशग्रहणम् आप्तवान् ॥
पश्यतां सर्वसैन्यानां तन् मे मर्माणि कृन्तति ॥
कामात् क्रोधाद् अवज्ञानाद् दर्पाद् बाल्येन वा पुनः ॥
वैधर्मिकानि कुर्वन्ति तथा परिभवेन च ॥
gataḥ sa vīralokāya pitā mama na saṃśayaḥ ||
na śocyaḥ puruṣavyāghras tathā sa nidhanaṃ gataḥ ||
yat tu dharmapravṛttaḥ san keśagrahaṇam āptavān ||
paśyatāṃ sarvasainyānāṃ tan me marmāṇi kṛntati ||
kāmāt krodhād avajñānād darpād bālyena vā punaḥ ||
vaidharmikāni kurvanti tathā paribhavena ca ||
"He has gone to the world of heroes, my father, there is no doubt; the tiger among men is not to be mourned — thus he met his death. But that, while devoted to dharma, he underwent the seizing of his hair before the eyes of all the armies — that cuts at my vital parts. From desire, from anger, from contempt, from pride, or from childishness again, and likewise from insolence, people commit lawless deeds."
63829066faa6 · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:08:17 PM UTC
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Ashvatthaman distinguishes two things: his father's death, which leads to the "world of heroes," and the desecration of his body, which "cuts at his vitals." It is telling how soberly he lists the roots of lawlessness — lust, anger, pride, folly: he understands the nature of evil, yet is already in the grip of anger, one of these very roots. The verse teaches that knowledge of the passions does not free one from them; one who clearly sees the sources of evil in others easily goes blind to that same evil rising in his own heart.