Śoka-śamana: Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation and Nārada’s Exempla to Sṛñjaya
Chapter 29
सम्प्रगृह्य महाबाहुर्भुजं चन्दनभूषितम् । शैलस्तम्भोपमं शौरिरुवाचाभिविनोदयन्,महाबाहु गोविन्दने युधिष्ठिरकी पत्थरके बने हुए खम्भे-जैसी चन्दनचर्चित भुजाको हाथमें लेकर उनका मनोरंजन करते हुए इस प्रकार बोलना आरम्भ किया
sampragṛhya mahābāhur bhujaṃ candanabhūṣitam | śailastambhopamaṃ śaurir uvācābhivinodayan ||
Kemudian Śauri (Kṛṣṇa) yang berlengan perkasa menggenggam lengan beliau yang diolesi cendana—kokoh laksana tiang batu—lalu, sambil menghibur dan menenangkan, mulai berbicara demikian.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Ethical instruction is most effective when delivered with compassion: the verse highlights Kṛṣṇa’s method of guiding Yudhiṣṭhira by first soothing his agitation, preparing him to receive dharma-centered counsel rather than reacting from grief or guilt.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Kṛṣṇa (Śauri) physically takes hold of an arm described as sandalwood-anointed and pillar-like in firmness, and begins speaking in a way meant to entertain/comfort—signaling the start of a consoling discourse to Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva setting.