Shloka 16
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Grief, Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation, and Vyāsa’s Admonition (युधिष्ठिरशोक-निवारणोपदेशः)
किमाकारा वयं तात प्रलपामो मुहुर्मुहुः । विदिता: क्षत्रधर्मस्ति येषां युद्धेन जीविका
kimākārā vayaṃ tāta pralapāmo muhur muhuḥ | viditāḥ kṣatradharmāsti yeṣāṃ yuddhena jīvikā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Dear one, what have we become now? Again and again we speak, yet it turns into mere empty talk. You already know well the dharma of kṣatriyas—those whose very livelihood is bound up with war.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the realism of kṣatriya-dharma: for warriors, duty is inseparable from the harsh economy of protection and battle. It critiques repeated moralizing or consoling speech when action and responsibility—already understood—define the situation.
Yudhiṣṭhira, addressing someone affectionately as ‘tāta’, expresses frustration and self-reproach: their repeated words feel like futile prattle. He points to the already-known code of the warrior class, whose life and social role are tied to warfare.