Shloka 1
Abhimanyu’s Śrāddha; Vyāsa’s Assurance of the Unborn Heir (अभिमन्योः श्राद्धं तथा गर्भरक्षणोपदेशः)
औपनआक्ाा बा अकाल एकषेष्टितमो< ध्याय: श्रीकृष्णका सुभद्राके कहनेसे वसुदेवजीको अभिमन्युवधका वृत्तान्त सुनाना वैशम्पायन उवाच कथयतन्नेव तु तदा वासुदेव: प्रतापवान् । महाभारतसयुद्ध॑ तत्कथान्ते पितुरग्रत:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kathayat tan naiva tu tadā vāsudevaḥ pratāpavān | mahābhārata-yuddhaṃ tat-kathānte pitur agrataḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Noong panahong iyon, si Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) na makapangyarihan ay nagsasalaysay sa harap ng kanyang ama ng mga pangyayari sa digmaang Mahābhārata; subalit sa gitna ng salaysay, sinadya niyang huwag banggitin ang pagpaslang kay Abhimanyu. Inisip ng dakilang pantas na bayani na kung marinig ng ama ang masamang balita ng pagkamatay ng kanyang apo, baka siya lamunin ng dalamhati at pighati; kaya, alang-alang sa habag at wastong pag-iingat sa pananalita, hindi niya isinalaysay ang bahaging iyon.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma in speech: even when telling the truth, one should consider timing, audience, and the potential harm of painful information. Kṛṣṇa’s restraint models compassionate discretion—truth guided by empathy and responsibility.
Vaiśampāyana tells Janamejaya that Kṛṣṇa, while narrating the Mahābhārata war to his father Vasudeva, intentionally omits the account of Abhimanyu’s killing, fearing it would cause his father intense grief upon hearing of his grandson’s death.