Shloka 130
धर्मशील: सदा राजा इति मां मानवा विदु: । स्वधर्मान्न चलिष्यामि नकुलो यक्ष जीवतु,यक्ष! लोग मेरे विषयमें ऐसा समझते हैं कि राजा युधिष्ठिर धर्मात्मा हैं; अतएव मैं अपने धर्मसे विचलित नहीं होऊँगा। मेरा भाई नकुल जीवित हो जाय
dharmaśīlaḥ sadā rājā iti māṃ mānavā viduḥ | svadharmān na caliṣyāmi nakulo yakṣa jīvatu ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “People know me as a king who is ever devoted to dharma. Therefore I will not swerve from my own righteous duty. O Yakṣa, let Nakula live.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness in svadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira grounds his choice in the public trust placed in him as a dharma-centered king and refuses to abandon righteous duty even under pressure, showing that ethical identity must be upheld through action.
During the Yakṣa’s ordeal at the lake, Yudhiṣṭhira is offered the chance to revive one of his fallen brothers. He addresses the Yakṣa and asks that Nakula be restored to life, explicitly stating that he will not deviate from dharma in making this choice.