Shloka 37
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
तेषां तु वचन श्रुत्वा दयावान् दीनभाषिणाम् | अहो कृच्छमिति प्राह तस्थौ स च युधिषछिर:
teṣāṁ tu vacanaṁ śrutvā dayāvān dīna-bhāṣiṇām | aho kṛcchram iti prāha tasthau sa ca yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Als der mitleidsvolle Yudhiṣṭhira die Worte derer hörte, die in Elend sprachen, hielt er inne und rief sogleich aus: „Ach! Welch schwere Not!“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dhārmic ruler’s first response to suffering is compassion: Yudhiṣṭhira does not ignore the distressed voices but stops and acknowledges their hardship, modeling ethical sensitivity and responsibility toward the afflicted.
As Vaiśampāyana narrates, Yudhiṣṭhira hears the lamenting words of miserable beings; moved by pity, he halts and blurts out, “Alas, what hardship,” indicating his immediate emotional and moral reaction to their plight.