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 |
毗舍波耶那说：“我女儿的儿子素来渴望在公平的战斗中争胜。他有胆量与德罗那、毗湿摩，以及诸强之首迦尔那也一较兵刃。莫非德罗那、迦尔那、克利帕等人合谋，以诡计杀了那孩子，使他被背信所害，如今倒卧在大地之上？凯沙瓦啊，把这一切都告诉我。”当时他长久哀号，沉没在极深的悲痛之中。
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.