Shloka 9
Gāndhārī’s Petition for a Vision of the Departed (गान्धार्याः प्रार्थना—दिव्यदर्शनप्रसङ्गः)
हमारे इस राज्यको धिक्कार है, बल और पराक्रमको धिककार है तथा इस क्षत्रिय- धर्मको भी धिक््कार है! जिससे आज हमलोग मृतकतुल्य जीवन बिता रहे हैं ।। सुसूक्ष्मा किल कालस्य गतिर्द्धिजवरोत्तम | यत् समुत्सृज्य राज्यं सा वनवासमरोचयत्,विप्रवर! कालकी गति अत्यन्त सूक्ष्म है, जिससे प्रेरित होकर माता कुन्तीने राज्य त्यागकर वनमें ही रहना ठीक समझा
dhig astu no rājyaṃ dhig balaṃ ca parākramaḥ | dhig ayaṃ kṣatriyadharmaḥ yenādya mṛtakatulyam iva jīvāmaḥ || susūkṣmā kila kālasya gatir dvijavarottama | yat samutsṛjya rājyaṃ sā vanavāsam arocayat ||
Shame upon our kingdom; shame upon strength and heroism; shame even upon this so‑called kṣatriya duty—by which today we are forced to live as though we were already dead. O best of Brahmins, the movement of Time (Kāla) is indeed exceedingly subtle: impelled by it, Mother Kuntī abandoned the kingdom and chose life in the forest instead.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira voices a moral crisis: worldly power, martial valor, and even ‘kṣatriya-dharma’ can feel hollow when they culminate in suffering and inner death. The verse also stresses the subtle, often unseen working of Kāla (Time/Fate), which can turn one toward renunciation—exemplified by Kuntī’s choice of forest-life over sovereignty.
In the Āśramavāsika context, after the devastations of the war and the elders’ withdrawal, Yudhiṣṭhira laments the worth of kingship and warrior duty. Addressing a Brahmin, he reflects that Time’s subtle course has led Kuntī to abandon the royal life and prefer living in the forest.