Shloka 15
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
तन्मे दहति गात्राणि यन्मां गुरुभाषत
tan me dahati gātrāṇi yan māṃ gurur abhāṣata | tadā gurur mām apṛcchat—“rājan, satyaṃ vada, kiṃ me putro jīvati?” | sa brāhmaṇaḥ satyanirṇayārthaṃ mām etad apṛcchat | tasya vākyasya smṛtyā me sarvaṃ śarīraṃ śokāgninā dagdhaṃ bhavati ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: «تلك الذكرى تحرق أطرافي—إنها كلماتُ معلّمي التي قالها لي يومًا. فقد سألني الغورو حينذاك: “أيها الملك، قل الصدق—أابني حيٌّ بعدُ؟” إن ذلك البراهمن لم يسأل إلا ليحسم ما تقتضيه الحقيقة. وكلما تذكرتُ كلماته شعرتُ أن جسدي كله يُكوَى بنار الأسى.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical weight of satya (truthfulness) and the inner suffering that can follow when truth is tested in painful circumstances. Even when a question is posed to ascertain truth, the moral burden and emotional consequences can be intense, reminding the listener that dharma is not merely rule-following but lived responsibility.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls a moment when his guru (a brāhmaṇa teacher) asked him directly whether the guru’s son was alive. The question was meant to force a clear decision about truth. Remembering that exchange now causes Yudhiṣṭhira deep anguish, described as his body burning in the fire of grief.