Shloka 25

ऋषिसमागमः — युधिष्ठिरस्य शोकवर्णनम्

Sage Assembly and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Articulation of Grief

Devanagari script

नहितं वेद पार्थो5पि भ्रातरं श्वेतवाहन:

Transliteration

na hitaṃ veda pārtho ’pi bhrātaraṃ śvetavāhanaḥ

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Selbst Pārtha — Arjuna, der mit den weißen Rossen — weiß nicht wahrhaft, was seinem eigenen Bruder zum Heil gereicht.“

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• हितम्: beneficial (thing); welfare
• हितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हित
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• वेद: knows
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद्
• Form: present, 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

• पार्थः: Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• अपि: even/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• भ्रातरम्: brother
• भ्रातरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• श्वेतवाहनः: the one with a white chariot/vehicle (epithet)
• श्वेतवाहनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वेतवाहन
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Arjuna (Pārtha, Śvetavāhana)
• brother (unspecified in this half-verse)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even great heroes may fail to discern what is truly beneficial (hita) for those closest to them; therefore dharma requires careful reflection, wise counsel, and attention to long-term welfare rather than reliance on strength, emotion, or reputation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking in the opening of Śānti Parva, reflecting on judgment and welfare after the war; he remarks that even Arjuna (Śvetavāhana) may not know what is best for his brother, underscoring the difficulty of determining right action.