Shloka 37
ऋषिसमागमः — युधिष्ठिरस्य शोकवर्णनम्
Sage Assembly and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Articulation of Grief
अथ शूरो महेष्वास: पार्थेनाजी निपातित: । अहं त्वज्ञासिषं पश्चात् स्वसोदर्य द्विजोत्तम
atha śūro maheṣvāsaḥ pārthenājau nipātitaḥ | ahaṁ tv ajñāsiṣaṁ paścāt svasodarya dvijottama ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Dann wurde auf dem Schlachtfeld jener Held, der große Bogenschütze, von Pārtha (Arjuna) zu Fall gebracht. Doch erst danach erfuhr ich — o Bester der Zweimalgeborenen —, dass er mein leiblicher Bruder war. Als ich lange nach der Tat von meiner Mutter Kuntī hörte: ‚Karṇa war unser Erstgeborener, aus derselben Mutter geboren‘, packte mein Herz schneidender Schmerz, denn ich habe den Tod meines Bruders veranlasst.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of actions done in ignorance and the painful consequences of delayed truth. Even when war-deeds align with kṣatriya duty, the revelation of kinship transforms victory into moral anguish, underscoring the Mahābhārata’s insistence that dharma is complex and emotionally costly.
After the war, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects that Karṇa—slain by Arjuna in battle—was later revealed by their mother Kuntī to be their eldest full brother. Yudhiṣṭhira laments that he effectively caused his own brother’s death and is overwhelmed by grief and remorse.