Shloka 42
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
विरथांस्तव पुत्रांस्तु कृत्वा राजन् महाहवे । न जघान नरव्याप्र: स्मरन् भीमवचस्तदा,राजन्! उस महासमरमें आपके पुत्रोंको रथहीन करके पुरुषसिंह अभिमन्युने उस समय भीमसेनकी प्रतिज्ञाका स्मरण करके उनका वध नहीं किया
virathāṁs tava putrāṁs tu kṛtvā rājan mahāhave | na jaghāna naravyāghraḥ smaran bhīmavacas tadā ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, in that great battle, after rendering your sons chariotless, the tiger among men (Abhimanyu) did not slay them then, remembering Bhīmasena’s words (his vow).” The verse highlights a warrior’s restraint in war: even amid fierce combat, Abhimanyu honors an ethical boundary grounded in an elder’s pledge, choosing not to kill those made vulnerable.
संजय उवाच