Shloka 15
Abhimanyu’s Śrāddha; Vyāsa’s Assurance of the Unborn Heir (अभिमन्योः श्राद्धं तथा गर्भरक्षणोपदेशः)
स्पर्धते सम रणे नित्यं दुहितु: पुत्रको मम | “मेरी बेटीका वह लाड़ला अभिमन्यु रणभूमिमें सदा द्रोणाचार्य
spardhate sama-raṇe nityaṁ duhituḥ putrako mama | evaṁvidhaṁ bahu tadā vilapantaṁ suduḥkhitam |
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「我が娘の子は、常に正々堂々の戦いで競い合うことを望んでいた。彼はドローナ、ビーシュマ、そして強者の中でも第一のカルナとさえ武器を交える勇気を持っていた。もしやドローナとカルナとクリパらが手を結び、欺きによってあの少年を討ち、裏切りに倒れて今は大地に横たわっているのではないか。ケーシャヴァよ、すべてを私に告げよ。」そうしてその時、彼は深い悲嘆に沈み、長く嘆き続けた。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts righteous, fair combat (sama-raṇa) with the moral stain of deceitful killing. It highlights how adharma in war—especially collective, treacherous violence against a lone youth—becomes a source of enduring grief and ethical questioning.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates a lament in which a grieving speaker recalls Abhimanyu’s fearless readiness to face even the greatest warriors and suspects that senior fighters (Droṇa, Karṇa, Kṛpa and others) may have killed him through stratagem. He appeals to Keśava (Kṛṣṇa) to disclose the truth, and continues lamenting in intense sorrow.