Shloka 13
Abhimanyu’s Śrāddha; Vyāsa’s Assurance of the Unborn Heir (अभिमन्योः श्राद्धं तथा गर्भरक्षणोपदेशः)
कच्चिन्न निकृतो बालो द्रोणकर्णकृपादिभि:
kaccin na nikṛto bālo droṇakarṇakṛpādibhiḥ
“کہیں وہ کم سن لڑکا درون، کرن، کرپ وغیرہ کے ہاتھوں دھوکے یا ظلم کا شکار تو نہیں ہوا؟”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical vigilance: elders and powerful figures must not exploit the vulnerable. It implies that dharma includes safeguarding the young from manipulation, especially in the morally unstable aftermath of war.
The narrator frames a concerned inquiry about a ‘young boy’—asking whether he has been wronged by prominent warriors/teachers (Droṇa, Karṇa, Kṛpa, and others). The question signals suspicion of misconduct and highlights anxiety over the boy’s treatment by influential elders.