Shloka 42
Abhimanyu’s Śrāddha; Vyāsa’s Assurance of the Unborn Heir (अभिमन्योः श्राद्धं तथा गर्भरक्षणोपदेशः)
एवं स निधन प्राप्तो दौहित्रस्तव मानद । संतापं त्यज दुर्धर्ष मा च शोके मन: कृथा:,“मानद! इस प्रकार आपका दौहित्र अभिमन्यु मृत्युको प्राप्त हुआ है। दुर्धर्ष वीर! आप संताप छोड़ दें और मनको शोकमग्न न करें!
evaṁ sa nidhanaṁ prāpto dauhitrastava mānada | saṁtāpaṁ tyaja durdharṣa mā ca śoke manaḥ kṛthāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O bestower of honor, thus your daughter’s son has met his end. O unconquerable hero, abandon this burning grief, and do not let your mind be fashioned into sorrow.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges restraint and inner steadiness in the face of bereavement: grief may arise, but one should not let the mind be overtaken by it. It reflects a dharmic ideal of self-control and acceptance of mortality, especially in a war-context where death is an expected consequence.
Vaiśampāyana reports that the listener’s grandson (Abhimanyu) has died and offers consolation, advising the addressed hero not to remain consumed by sorrow and to relinquish tormenting grief.