Shloka 2
Abhimanyu’s Śrāddha; Vyāsa’s Assurance of the Unborn Heir (अभिमन्योः श्राद्धं तथा गर्भरक्षणोपदेशः)
अभिमन्योर्वध॑ वीर: सो>त्यक्रामन्महामति: । अप्रियं वसुदेवस्य मा भूदिति महामति:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | abhimanyor vadhaṁ vīraḥ so ’tyakrāman mahāmatiḥ | apriyaṁ vasudevasya mā bhūd iti mahāmatiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: That heroic and great-minded one deliberately passed over the account of Abhimanyu’s killing, thinking, “Let nothing unpleasant befall Vasudeva.” Out of considerate wisdom, he omitted that painful episode so that the elder would not be struck by grief on hearing of his grandson’s death.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wisdom includes sensitivity: even truthful speech may be ethically moderated when it would cause needless anguish to an innocent elder. The verse highlights compassionate restraint—avoiding harsh or grief-inducing details when no dharmic purpose is served by stating them at that moment.
In the course of recounting the war story, the narrator notes that the speaker intentionally skips the episode of Abhimanyu’s death, fearing it would bring painful grief to Vasudeva upon hearing of his grandson’s fate.