Shloka 34
Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)
न हीदृशा गमिष्यन्ति नरकं पाण्डवर्षभ । भ्रातृनाश्वासयैतांस्त्वं सुहृदक्ष परंतप,पाण्डवशिरोमणे! तुम्हारे-जैसे लोग नरकमें नहीं गिरेंगे। शत्रुसंतापी नरेश! तुम इन भाइयों और सुहृदोंको आश्वासन दो
na hīdṛśā gamiṣyanti narakaṃ pāṇḍavarṣabha | bhrātṝn āśvāsayaitāṃs tvaṃ suhṛdakṣa parantapa ||
Vyāsa said: “O bull among the Pāṇḍavas, men of your kind do not fall into hell. O tormentor of foes, clear-sighted friend—reassure these brothers and well-wishers.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vyāsa affirms that a righteous, duty-bound person like Yudhiṣṭhira is not destined for hell, and he urges him to act ethically in the present by consoling and steadying his brothers and allies—transforming grief and fear into moral resolve.
In the Shānti Parva’s post-war setting, Yudhiṣṭhira is burdened by remorse and anxiety about sin and its consequences. Vyāsa intervenes to reassure him of his moral standing and instructs him to give reassurance to the grieving brothers and well-wishers around him.