Shloka 12
Dhanañjaya-viraha-śoka and the Resolve to Enter Gandhamādana (धनंजय-विरह-शोकः गन्धमादन-प्रवेश-संकल्पश्च)
दुःखेन महताविष्टस्तं न पश्यामि फाल्गुनम् । अजेयमुग्रधन्वानं तेन तप्ये वृकोदर,वृकोदर! जो पराक्रम और सम्पत्तिमें देवराज इन्द्रसे तनिक भी कम नहीं है, जिसके रथके घोड़े श्वेत रंगके हैं, जो नकुल-सहदेवसे अवस्थामें बड़ा है, जिसके पराक्रमकी कोई सीमा नहीं है तथा जो उग्र धनुर्धर एवं अजेय है, उस वीरवर अर्जुनके दर्शनसे मैं वंचित हूँ; इसके लिये मुझे महान कष्ट हो रहा है। मैं चिन्ताकी आगमें जला जा रहा हूँ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | duḥkhena mahatāviṣṭas taṃ na paśyāmi phālgunam | ajeyam ugradhanvānaṃ tena tapye vṛkodara |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Overwhelmed by great sorrow, I do not see Phālguna (Arjuna). He is unconquerable, a fierce wielder of the bow; and because of this I am tormented, O Vṛkodara. Deprived of the sight of that foremost hero—whose valor knows no limit and who is in no way inferior to Indra in prowess and fortune—I burn in the fire of anxious thought. The pain here is not merely personal grief, but the moral weight of separation from a righteous ally whose strength safeguards their dharma in exile.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and emotional dimension of dharma in adversity: even a steadfast king like Yudhiṣṭhira experiences intense grief when separated from a righteous protector. It underscores the value of virtuous companionship and the responsibility leaders feel when the welfare of their group depends on the presence of a capable, dharma-aligned ally.
During the forest exile, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīma, lamenting that he cannot see Arjuna (Phālguna). He praises Arjuna as invincible and a formidable archer, comparable to Indra in prowess and fortune, and confesses that Arjuna’s absence makes him suffer and burn with anxious worry.