Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
ब्रुवतामप्रियं पथ्यं सुहदां न शूणोति यः
bruvatām apriyaṃ pathyaṃ suhṛdāṃ na śṛṇoti yaḥ
સંજયે કહ્યું: જે સુહૃદો કહે તે અપ્રિય છતાં પથ્ય વચન પણ ન સાંભળે…
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights an ethical failure: refusing to hear beneficial advice simply because it is unpleasant. In dharmic terms, wisdom includes receptivity to truthful, welfare-oriented counsel from well-wishers, even when it wounds pride or contradicts desire.
Sañjaya is describing a moral pattern relevant to the unfolding tragedy: a person ignores the salutary but unwelcome words of friends and advisers. This sets the stage for ruinous decisions in the aftermath of war, where hardened minds reject corrective counsel.