Shloka 156
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)
इह चामुत्र चैवेति कृपणा: फलहेतव: । इसी प्रकार सभी माताएँ उपवास, यज्ञ, व्रत, कौतुक और मंगलमय कृत्योंद्वारा उत्तम पुत्रकी इच्छा रखकर दस महीनोंतक अपने गर्भोका भरण-पोषण करती हैं। उन सबका यही उद्देश्य होता है कि यदि कुशलपूर्वक बच्चे पैदा होंगे, पैदा होनेपर यदि जीवित रहेंगे तथा बलवान होकर यदि अच्छे गुणोंसे सम्पन्न होंगे तो हमें इहलोक और परलोकमें सुख देंगे। इस प्रकार वे दीन माताएँ फलकी आकांक्षा रखती हैं
iha cāmutra caiveti kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Thinking, ‘in this world and in the next as well,’ the pitiable act with an eye to results. In the same way, mothers—desiring an excellent son—undertake fasts, sacrifices, vows, auspicious rites, and other observances, and for ten months sustain and nourish the embryo. Their aim is this: if children are born safely, if they survive after birth, and if they grow strong and endowed with good qualities, then they will bring happiness to us in this world and in the world beyond. Thus those distressed mothers long for the fruit of their acts.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how people often act with a strong expectation of reward—seeking benefit ‘here and hereafter.’ By calling such agents kṛpaṇa (“pitiable/attached”), it critiques fruit-motivated action and points toward a more dharmic ideal of acting without anxious clinging to outcomes.
In Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, Yudhiṣṭhira remarks on human motivation: even loving, strenuous maternal practices (fasts, vows, rites during pregnancy) are frequently driven by the hope that virtuous, strong children will later provide happiness in both worlds.