Shloka 31
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)
को हि बन्धु: कुलीन: संस्तथा ब्रूयात् सुहृज्जने । यथासाववददू वाक्यं युयुत्सु: कृष्णसंनिधौ,संधिके लिये गये हुए श्रीकृष्णके समीप युद्धकी इच्छावाले दुर्योधनने जैसी बात कही थी, वैसी कौन भाई-बन्धु कुलीन होकर भी अपने सुहृदोंके लिये कह सकता है?
ko hi bandhuḥ kulīnaḥ saṃstathā brūyāt suhṛjjane | yathāsāv avadad vākyam yuyutsuḥ kṛṣṇasaṃnidhau ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Welcher Bruder oder Verwandte, selbst von edler Geburt, könnte solche Worte zu seinen eigenen lieben Freunden sprechen? Denn Yuyutsu redete in Kṛṣṇas eigener Gegenwart in gleicher Weise — Worte, getrieben vom Verlangen nach Krieg.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Nobility is measured by conduct, especially restrained and truthful speech toward one’s own well-wishers; kinship and good birth do not justify harsh, divisive, or war-inciting words.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects critically on a provocative statement made in Kṛṣṇa’s presence, questioning how any well-born relative could speak so against friends—highlighting the moral tension around counsel, loyalty, and the impulse toward war.