Shloka 6
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
तथा चान्ये नृपतय: सहपुत्रा: सबान्धवा: । मत्कृते निधन प्राप्ता: कि नु कष्टतरं ततः,आपके सिवा और भी बहुत-से नरेश मेरे ही कारण अपने पुत्रों और बान्धवोंसहित युद्धमें मारे गये हैं। इससे बढ़कर दुःखकी बात और क्या होगी?
tathā cānye nṛpatayaḥ sahaputrāḥ sabāndhavāḥ | matkṛte nidhanaṃ prāptāḥ ki nu kaṣṭataraṃ tataḥ ||
“And besides these, many other kings too—together with their sons and kinsmen—have met their death because of me. What sorrow could be more grievous than that?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds moral accountability: even when war is framed by duty, the destruction of many lives weighs heavily on conscience. Yudhiṣṭhira’s lament highlights the ethical cost of victory and the dharmic impulse to grieve for all who perished, not only one’s own side.
After the great war, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the widespread deaths. He says that many other kings, along with their sons and relatives, died because of him, and he asks what could be more painful—expressing remorse and sorrow in the aftermath of the conflict.