Shloka 26
“कुन्तीकुमार धनंजय जिस प्रकार नियम और व्रतका पालन करते हुए तपस्यामें संलग्न हैं, वह अद्भुत है। वे मौनभावसे रहते और अकेले ही विचरते हैं। श्रीमान् अर्जुन धर्मके मूर्तिमान् स्वरूप जान पड़ते हैं" ।। त॑ श्रुत्वा पाण्डवो राजंस्तप्यमानं महावने । अन्वशोचत कौन्तेय: प्रियं वै भ्रातरं जयम्,राजन! उस महान् वनमें अपने प्रिय भाई अर्जुनको तपस्या करते सुनकर पाण्डुनन्दन युधिष्ठिर उनके लिये बार-बार शोक करने लगे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tām śrutvā pāṇḍavo rājan tapyamānaṃ mahāvane | anv-aśocata kaunteyaḥ priyaṃ vai bhrātaraṃ jayām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O King, hearing that his beloved brother Arjuna was engaged in austerities in the great forest, the son of Pāṇḍu—Yudhiṣṭhira—grieved for him again and again. The report of Arjuna’s strict discipline and solitary, silent practice highlights the ethical weight of self-restraint and duty: even righteous resolve can become a cause of sorrow for those bound by love and responsibility.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical tension between steadfast discipline (tapas, restraint, solitary practice) and human bonds: even when a loved one pursues a righteous path, those responsible for family and welfare may feel repeated sorrow, revealing compassion and the cost of dharmic striving.
Vaiśampāyana tells King Janamejaya that Yudhiṣṭhira, upon hearing that Arjuna is performing severe austerities in the great forest, repeatedly laments for his dear brother—an emotional response to Arjuna’s intense, solitary undertaking.