Shloka 18
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
सत्यकज्चुकमुन्मुच्य मया स गुरुराहवे । अश्वत्थामा हत इति निरुक्त: कुञ्जरे हते,मैंने सत्यका चोला उतार फेंका और युद्धमें अश्वत्थामा नामक हाथीके मारे जानेपर गुरुदेवसे कह दिया कि “अश्वत्थामा मारा गया।” (इससे उन्हें अपने पुत्रके मारे जानेका विश्वास हो गया)
satyakacukam unmucya mayā sa gurur āhave | aśvatthāmā hata iti niruktaḥ kuñjare hate ||
نزعتُ عني «رداء الصدق»، وقلتُ لمعلّمي في خضمّ المعركة: «لقد قُتل أَشْوَتْثَامَا»—وأنا أعني الفيل المسمّى أَشْوَتْثَامَا الذي قُتل. فحمل المعلّمُ ذلك على موت ابنه، فاهتزّ يقينه الأخلاقي، وانكشف الثمنُ الجسيم الذي تدفعه النفس حين تُنال الغلبة بعبارةٍ مواربة.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how even a technically defensible statement can violate dharma when it is intended to mislead. ‘Casting off the coat of truth’ signals a conscious departure from integrity, showing that moral responsibility lies not only in literal wording but also in intention and foreseeable impact.
In the battle context, Yudhiṣṭhira reports ‘Aśvatthāmā is slain’ after the elephant named Aśvatthāmā has been killed. The statement is framed so that Droṇa, thinking it refers to his son Aśvatthāmā, believes his son is dead—an event that undermines his resolve and affects the course of the war.