Shloka 9
हाय! हमलोगोंने इस तुच्छ पृथ्वीके लिये अवध्य राजाओंकी भी हत्या की और अब उन्हें छोड़कर बन्धु-बान्धवोंसे हीन हो अर्थ-भ्रष्टकी भाँति जीवन व्यतीत कर रहे हैं
hāy! vayaṁ etasyāḥ tucchāyāḥ pṛthivyāḥ kṛte ’vadhyānām api rājñāṁ vadhaṁ kṛtavantaḥ; adhunā tu tān vihāya bandhu-bāndhava-hīnāḥ san artha-bhraṣṭa iva jīvanaṁ yāpayāmaḥ.
Weh uns! Um dieser armseligen Erde willen haben wir sogar Könige erschlagen, die nicht hätten getötet werden dürfen. Und nun, ihrer beraubt, leben wir ohne Verwandte und Verbündete, wie einer, den das Glück verlassen hat—und lassen die Tage ohne Halt und Sinn verrinnen.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical reckoning after violence: worldly sovereignty (pṛthivī/kingdom) is portrayed as a small gain when purchased by adharma-like acts such as killing those deemed ‘avadhya’. It stresses that the fruits of such action are not only political but deeply personal—loss of kinship networks, inner peace, and a sense of meaningful life.
Yudhiṣṭhira laments the aftermath of the great war: in striving for rule over the earth, the victors have caused the death of many kings and now find themselves isolated and grief-stricken, living without the support of relatives and allies, as if ruined—despite having ‘won’ the kingdom.