Shloka 25
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)
नामात्यसुहदां वाक््यं न च श्रुतवतां श्रुतम् । न रत्नानि पराध्यानि न भूर्न द्रविणागम:,मन्त्रियों, सुहृदों तथा वेद-शास्त्रोंके ज्ञाता विद्वानोंकी भी बातें वे नहीं सुन सके। बहुमूल्य रत्न, पृथ्वीके राज्य तथा धनकी आयका भी सुख भोगनेका उन्हें अवसर नहीं मिला
nāmātya-suhṛdāṁ vākyaṁ na ca śrutavatāṁ śrutam | na ratnāni parādhyānī na bhūr na draviṇāgamaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “They could not even listen to the counsel of ministers and well-wishing friends, nor to the learning of those versed in sacred tradition. Nor did they get the chance to enjoy precious treasures, sovereignty over the earth, or the steady inflow of wealth.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the tragedy of ignoring or being deprived of wise counsel and learning: without heeding ministers, friends, and the learned, one loses not only moral guidance but also the very conditions for stable prosperity—treasures, sovereignty, and sustained wealth.
In Śānti Parva’s reflective setting after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira laments the losses and missed possibilities: those involved did not (or could not) benefit from the guidance of advisers and scholars, and consequently never truly enjoyed the fruits of power—jewels, kingdom, and wealth—before ruin overtook them.