Shloka 25
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
एतामवस्थां प्राप्यैके मरणं वव्रिरे जना: । ग्रामायैके वनायैके नाशायैके प्रवव्रजु:
etām avasthāṁ prāpyaike maraṇaṁ vavrirē janāḥ | grāmāyaike vanāyaike nāśāyaike pravavrajuḥ ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: «إذا سقط الناس في مثل هذه الحال اختار بعضهم الموت. وبعضهم يهجر قريته فيستقرّ في موضعٍ آخر؛ وبعضهم يعتزل إلى الغابة؛ وبعضهم، طالباً هلاكه، يخرج من بيته كأنه خارجٌ ليلقي بنفسه إلى الفناء.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extreme hardship can drive people toward self-destruction or flight, implying an ethical responsibility for rulers and society to prevent conditions that crush human dignity and push individuals into despair.
Yudhiṣṭhira describes the human consequences of a dire condition: some choose death, some migrate from their village, some retreat to the forest, and some leave home with the intention of perishing—underscoring the severity of the crisis being discussed.