Shloka 25
स्त्रीपर्व — अध्याय १५: गान्धारी-युधिष्ठिर-संवादः
Gandhārī’s Confrontation and Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira
तमभ्यगच्छद् राजेन्द्रो वेपमान: कृताज्जलि: । युधिष्ठिरस्त्विदं तत्र मधुरं वाक्यमब्रवीत्,यह सुनकर महाराज युधिष्छिर काँपते हुए हाथ जोड़े उनके सामने आये और बड़ी मीठी वाणीमें बोले--“देवि! आपके पुत्रोंका संहार करनेवाला क्रूरकर्मा युधिष्ठिर मैं हूँ। पृथ्वीभरके राजाओंका नाश करानेमें मैं ही हेतु हूँ, इसलिये शापके योग्य हूँ। आप मुझे शाप दे दीजिये
tam abhyagacchad rājendro vepamānaḥ kṛtāñjaliḥ | yudhiṣṭhiras tv idaṃ tatra madhuraṃ vākyam abravīt ||
Then the king of kings, trembling and with hands joined in reverence, approached her. There Yudhiṣṭhira spoke in a gentle, sweet voice—accepting moral responsibility for the slaughter of her sons and for the ruin of the earth’s rulers, declaring himself fit to be cursed, and inviting her to pronounce a curse upon him.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical accountability after violence: even a victorious ruler approaches with humility and trembling, and the moral weight of mass suffering prompts self-blame and readiness to accept punishment.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira, visibly shaken and with folded hands, approaches the bereaved figure and speaks gently, framing himself as responsible for the destruction and inviting condemnation/cursing as a form of expiation.