Shloka 15
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
त्रयोदशाहं वर्षाणि यस्माद् भीतो धनंजय । न सम निद्रां लभे रात्री न चाहनि सुखं क्वचित्,अर्जुन! मैं जिससे भयभीत होकर तेरह वर्षोतक न तो रातमें अच्छी तरह नींद ले सका और न दिनमें ही कहीं सुख पा सका
trayodaśāhaṁ varṣāṇi yasmād bhīto dhanañjaya | na sama nidrāṁ labhe rātrī na cāhani sukhaṁ kvacit ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), out of fear of him, for thirteen years I could not obtain proper sleep at night, nor did I find happiness anywhere in the daytime.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fear and unresolved responsibility can erode inner peace for long periods; a ruler’s mind is ethically accountable not only for actions in war but also for the mental suffering caused by looming conflict and duty.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Arjuna, confessing that for thirteen years he has lived in constant dread of a particular adversary or threat, losing sleep at night and happiness by day—revealing the psychological weight carried by the Pāṇḍavas on the eve of decisive battle.