Shloka 28
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
अप्रियो य: पुरुषो निष्ठुरो हि क्षुद्र: क्षेप्ता क्षमिणश्नाक्षमावान्
apriyo yaḥ puruṣo niṣṭhuro hi kṣudraḥ kṣeptā kṣamiṇo 'kṣamāvān
Sañjaya said: “That man who is disagreeable—truly harsh and petty—who habitually hurls insults, though he may seem ‘forbearing’, is in fact unforgiving.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Harshness, pettiness, and a habit of insulting others reveal an unforgiving nature; true forbearance is shown not by outward claims but by restrained speech and genuine patience.
Sañjaya is describing a type of person by listing moral traits—disagreeable, harsh, petty, insulting—contrasting the appearance of being ‘forbearing’ with the reality of being unforgiving, as part of a broader ethical characterization within the war narrative.