इमे सद्धर्ममाहात्म्ययशोवीर्यनिवर्तिन: । नाहन्ति व्यसन भोक्तुं नन्वेषां क्रियतां दया
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: ime saddharma-māhātmya-yaśo-vīrya-nivartinaḥ | nārhanti vyasanaṃ bhoktuṃ, nanv eṣāṃ kriyatāṃ dayā ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana disse: “Estes (meus filhos) seguem o caminho nobre—guiados pela grandeza do verdadeiro dharma e pela conduta, fama e bravura dos magnânimos. Não merecem sofrer calamidade. Portanto, ó venerável, tem compaixão deles.”
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
The verse frames compassion (dayā) as an ethical response aligned with saddharma: those who strive to follow righteous exemplars should not be crushed by misfortune, and a superior is urged to temper judgment with mercy.
In the midst of the Sabha Parva’s crisis and punitive outcomes, a speaker pleads before a revered authority that ‘my sons’—portrayed as dharma-following and noble—should not be made to endure suffering, and requests compassionate intervention.