Abhimanyunidhana-prakāśaḥ — Vasudeva–Kṛṣṇa–Subhadrā–Kuntī śoka-saṃvāda
Disclosure and Consolation
प्राधान्यतस्तु गदत: समासेनैव मे शृणु । कर्माणि पृथिवीशानां यथावदमरथद्ुते,अतः देवताओंके समान तेजस्वी तात! मैं मुख्य-मुख्य घटनाओंको ही संक्षेपसे सुना रहा हूँ, आप उन भूपतियोंके कर्म यथावत् रूपसे सुनिये
prādhānyatas tu gadataḥ samāsenaiva me śṛṇu | karmāṇi pṛthivīśānāṁ yathāvad amarathadute ||
Vāsudeva said: “Listen to me as I recount in brief, choosing what is most important. O messenger of the immortals, hear in proper order and in true form the deeds of the lords of the earth. In such a telling, the moral weight lies in discerning what is principal and in reporting actions faithfully, rather than being lost in excess detail.”
वासुदेव उवाच
The verse emphasizes two ethical principles of discourse: (1) prādhānya—selecting what is essential rather than indulging in needless विस्तार (excess detail), and (2) yathāvat—faithfully presenting deeds as they truly occurred, especially when speaking of rulers whose actions carry moral and social consequences.
Vāsudeva addresses a divine messenger and signals a shift into a concise account. He announces that he will relate only the principal events and urges the listener to attend to the kings’ deeds in their correct and truthful form, preparing the audience for a summarized yet accurate narration.