Shloka 1
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठका ई “लोक मिलाकर कुल ३१ ह “लोक हैं।) भी हा +ज (2) आमने द्वादशोड् ध्याय: श्रीकृष्णका अश्वत्थामाकी चपलता एवं क्रूरताके प्रसंगमें सुदर्शनचक्र माँगनेकी बात सुनाते हुए उससे भीमसेनकी रक्षाके लिये प्रयत्न करनेका आदेश देना वैशम्पायन उवाच तस्मिन् प्रयाते दुर्धर्षे यदूनामृषभस्तत: । अब्रवीत् पुण्डरीकाक्ष: कुन्तीपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन! दुर्धर्ष वीर भीमसेनके चले जानेपर यदुकुलतिलक कमलनयन भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने कुन्तीपुत्र युधिष्ठिस्से कहा--
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tasmin prayāte durdharṣe yadūnām ṛṣabhas tataḥ | abravīt puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ kuntīputraṁ yudhiṣṭhiram ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When the unconquerable Bhīmasena had departed, then Kṛṣṇa—the foremost of the Yādavas, lotus-eyed—addressed Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Kuntī. The narrative turns from battlefield movement to responsible counsel: Kṛṣṇa prepares to guide the king toward protective action and restraint amid the moral chaos following night-time slaughter.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war’s aftermath, leadership must shift from impulse to discerning counsel: the righteous king is guided to act protectively and ethically, not merely reactively, when new dangers arise.
After Bhīma leaves, Kṛṣṇa turns to Yudhiṣṭhira and begins speaking—setting up instructions and strategy for the next events in the Sauptika aftermath, where protection of the Pāṇḍavas becomes urgent.