Shloka 11
Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)
यद् वयं सुह्ृदो हत्वा कृत्वा पापमनन्तकम् | नरके निपतिष्यामो हृथ:शिरस एव ह
yad vayaṁ suhṛdo hatvā kṛtvā pāpam anantakam | narake nipatiṣyāmo hṛtaśirasa eva ha ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: «إذ إننا قتلنا أهلَ مودّتنا ممّن كانوا يريدون لنا الخير، فاقترفنا بذلك إثمًا لا حدّ له—إثمًا لا تبلغ الكفّاراتُ له نهاية—فسنسقط لا محالة في الجحيم، منكسين على رؤوسنا، في خزيٍ تامّ».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when violence is undertaken under the pressure of duty, the ethical weight of killing one’s own well-wishers can generate profound remorse; the verse foregrounds accountability, the fear of moral consequence, and the need to reflect on dharma beyond mere victory.
In the aftermath of the great war, Yudhiṣṭhira laments that by killing their own friends and well-wishers they have incurred immeasurable sin, and he fears inevitable descent into hell—expressing grief, shame, and moral anguish.