Shloka 5
अतः कष्टतरं कि नु मत्कृते यत् पितामह: । इमामवस्थां गमितः: प्रत्यमित्रै रणाजिरे,मेरे ही कारण समराड्डणमें शत्रुओंने जो पितामहको इस अवस्थामें पहुँचा दिया, इससे बढ़कर कष्टकी बात और क्या हो सकती है?
ataḥ kaṣṭataraṃ ki nu matkṛte yat pitāmahaḥ | imām avasthāṃ gamitaḥ pratyamitraiḥ raṇājire ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “What suffering could be greater than this—that because of me the Grandsire has been brought to such a condition by hostile foes on the battlefield?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds moral accountability: even when war is fought under perceived necessity, a righteous person (Yudhiṣṭhira) feels personal responsibility for the suffering inflicted—especially upon elders and revered figures—highlighting the ethical weight of violence and the need for reflective dharma.
After the great war, Yudhiṣṭhira laments that Bhīṣma, the revered Grandsire, has been reduced to a grievous state on the battlefield, and he interprets this tragedy as occurring ‘because of me,’ expressing remorse and grief over the war’s consequences.