Shloka 13
दृष्टवा तु पतितं पद्भ्यां धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर: । धनंजयममित्रघ्नं रुदन्तं भरतर्षभ
dṛṣṭvā tu patitaṃ padbhyāṃ dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | dhanañjayam amitraghnaṃ rudantaṃ bharatarṣabha ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Al ver a Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), matador de enemigos, caído a sus pies y llorando, el rey Yudhiṣṭhira, firme en el dharma, lo alzó con hondo afecto y lo estrechó contra su pecho. Abrumado por el peso del parentesco y la calamidad de la guerra, aquel rey justo también se quebró y lloró en voz alta.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the harsh demands of kṣatriya warfare, dharma is not mere severity; it includes compassion and responsibility toward one’s own. Yudhiṣṭhira’s response shows that righteous leadership holds space for grief and tenderness, not only strategy and victory.
Arjuna, overwhelmed, falls at Yudhiṣṭhira’s feet and weeps. Yudhiṣṭhira lifts him up and embraces him, and then the normally composed Dharmarāja himself breaks down in tears—signaling the emotional cost of the battle and the deep bond between the brothers.