Shloka 38
Bhāgīratha’s Tapas and the Petition to Gaṅgā (गङ्गावतरण-प्रसङ्गः)
युधिछिर उवाच किमर्थ राजशार्दूल: सगर: पुत्रमात्मजम् | त्यक्तवान् दुस्त्यजं वीरं तन्मे ब्रूहि तपोधन,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--तपोधन! नृपश्रेष्ठ सगरने किसलिये अपने दुस्त्यज वीर पुत्रका त्याग किया था, यह मुझे बताइये
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kimarthaṁ rājarṣārḍūlaḥ Sagaraḥ putram ātmajam | tyaktavān dustyajaṁ vīraṁ tan me brūhi tapodhana ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Aus welchem Grund hat König Sagara — ein Tiger unter den Königen — seinen eigenen Sohn verlassen, jenen Helden, von dem man sich so schwer losreißt? O Asket, reich an Entsagung, sage es mir.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic inquiry: even what is most precious—one’s own heroic son—may be relinquished if a higher principle, duty, or moral necessity demands it. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks the ethical rationale behind a king’s severe decision.
Yudhiṣṭhira questions an ascetic (addressed as tapodhana) about a past episode involving King Sagara. He asks why Sagara abandoned his own son, emphasizing how difficult such an act is, and requests the sage to explain the cause and context.