Shloka 3
Āśvamedhika-parva Adhyāya 1 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament by the Gaṅgā and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel
उत्तीर्य तु महाबाहुर्बाष्पव्याकुललोचन: । पपात तीरे गड़ाया व्याधविद्ध इव द्विप:,बाहर निकलकर विशालबाहु युधिष्ठिर गंगाजीके तटपर व्याथके बाणोंसे बिंधे हुए गजराजके समान गिर पड़े। उस समय उनके दोनों नेत्रोंसे आँसुओंकी धारा बह रही थी
uttīrya tu mahābāhur bāṣpa-vyākula-locanaḥ | papāta tīre gaṅgāyā vyādha-viddha iva dvipaḥ ||
Having come out (of the river), the mighty-armed Yudhiṣṭhira—his eyes clouded and overwhelmed with tears—collapsed on the bank of the Gaṅgā, like a great elephant struck by a hunter’s arrow. The scene underscores how even a righteous king, burdened by the moral weight of past violence and responsibility, can be physically undone by grief.
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and emotional cost of power and conflict: even a dharmic ruler may be overwhelmed by remorse and sorrow, and true righteousness includes acknowledging suffering rather than masking it.
After emerging from the Gaṅgā, Yudhiṣṭhira—eyes streaming with tears—falls on the riverbank, compared to an elephant felled by a hunter’s arrow, signaling intense grief and exhaustion.