Shloka 11

Matsya Purana — Prayaga Mahatmya Begins: Yudhishthira’s Remorse

Devanagari script

व्यासं कथमहं पृच्छे यस्य गोत्रक्षयः कृतः एवं वैक्लव्यमापन्नो धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः रुदन्ति पाण्डवाः सर्वे भ्रातृशोकपरिप्लुताः //

Transliteration

vyāsaṃ kathamahaṃ pṛcche yasya gotrakṣayaḥ kṛtaḥ evaṃ vaiklavyamāpanno dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ rudanti pāṇḍavāḥ sarve bhrātṛśokapariplutāḥ //

Translation

“How can I question Vyāsa—he by whom the destruction of the lineages has been brought about?” Thus, overcome with helpless distress, King Yudhiṣṭhira, the upholder of dharma, lamented; and all the Pāṇḍavas wept, submerged in sorrow for their brother.

Word by Word

• व्यासम् (vyāsam): Vyāsa

• कथम् (katham): how

• अहम् (aham): I

• पृच्छे (pṛcche): should ask/question

• यस्य (yasya): by whom/whose

• गोत्रक्षयः (gotrakṣayaḥ): destruction of clans/lineages

• कृतः (kṛtaḥ): has been done/caused

• एवम् (evam): thus

• वैक्लव्यम् (vaiklavyam): helplessness, faint-hearted distress

• आपन्नः (āpannaḥ): having fallen into/overcome by

• धर्मराजः (dharmarājaḥ): the king of dharma (righteous king)

• युधिष्ठिरः (yudhiṣṭhiraḥ): Yudhiṣṭhira

• रुदन्ति (rudanti): they weep

• पाण्डवाः (pāṇḍavāḥ): the Pāṇḍavas

• सर्वे (sarve): all

• भ्रातृ (bhrātṛ): brother

• शोक (śoka): grief

• परिप्लुताः (pariplutāḥ): flooded/engulfed, overwhelmed.

Speaker

• Sūta/Narrator (Purāṇic narrator) describing Yudhiṣṭhira and the Pāṇḍavas

Entities Mentioned

• Vyāsa
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Pāṇḍavas

Tags

• Dharma
• Kula-kshaya
• Mahabharata-episode
• Grief
• Ethics

FAQs

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

This verse does not address cosmic pralaya; it depicts a human-scale ‘dissolution’—the collapse of family lineages (gotra-kṣaya) and the moral-emotional aftermath of war.

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

It highlights the king’s dharmic burden: even a righteous ruler like Yudhiṣṭhira is shaken when actions lead to lineage-destruction, underscoring accountability, remorse, and the need for counsel (from sages) in restoring order after catastrophe.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu/temple-architecture rule is mentioned; the ritual takeaway is indirect—grief and clan-loss typically prompt śrāddha and expiatory rites in Purāṇic ethics, though this specific verse focuses on lamentation.