Shloka 10

Matsya Purana — Prayaga Mahatmya Begins: Yudhishthira’s Remorse

Devanagari script

कथं पृच्छामि वै कृष्णं येनेदं कारितो ऽस्म्यहम् धृतराष्ट्रं कथं पृच्छे यस्य पुत्रशतं हतम् //

Transliteration

kathaṃ pṛcchāmi vai kṛṣṇaṃ yenedaṃ kārito 'smyaham dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ kathaṃ pṛcche yasya putraśataṃ hatam //

Translation

How can I even question Kṛṣṇa—by whom I have been made to bring this about? And how can I question Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whose hundred sons have been slain?

Word by Word

• katham: how?

• pṛcchāmi: I ask/question

• vai: indeed

• kṛṣṇam: Kṛṣṇa

• yena: by whom

• idam: this

• kāritaḥ: caused to be done/made to happen

• asmi: I am

• aham: I

• dhṛtarāṣṭram: Dhṛtarāṣṭra

• katham: how?

• pṛcche: should I ask?

• yasya: whose

• putra-śatam: a hundred sons

• hatam: slain/killed

Speaker

• Vidura (contextually, a counselor reflecting on approaching Kṛṣṇa and Dhṛtarāṣṭra after the war)

Entities Mentioned

• Kṛṣṇa
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Tags

• Mahabharata aftermath
• Grief
• Dharma counsel
• Karma
• Kingship ethics

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse is not about Pralaya; it reflects moral hesitation and the weight of divine agency (Kṛṣṇa’s role) in human events after the great war.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It highlights dharmic sensitivity in counsel: one should speak to rulers (and elders) with awareness of their grief and responsibility, and recognize how decisions—human and divine—shape outcomes.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu, iconographic, or ritual procedure is stated in this verse; its focus is ethical speech and the difficulty of questioning those bound to tragic consequences.