Shloka 19
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)
यदैषामम्ब पितरौ जातकामावुभावपि । संजातधनरत्नेषु तदैव निहता नृपा:,माँ! इन राजाओंके माता-पिता जब इनके द्वारा उपार्जित धन और रत्न आदिके उपभोगकी आशा करने लगे, तभी ये मारे गये
yad eṣām amba pitarau jātakāmāv ubhāv api | sañjātadhana-ratneṣu tadaiva nihatā nṛpāḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dijo: «Madre, cuando los padres y las madres de estos reyes —ambos— comenzaron a esperar gozar de la riqueza y las joyas adquiridas por sus hijos, en ese mismo momento aquellos reyes fueron muertos».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly prosperity: even when wealth is finally acquired and parents begin to expect enjoyment of it, death can intervene immediately. Ethically, it cautions against overreliance on material security and urges steadiness in dharma amid the unpredictability of time.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses his mother, reflecting on the tragic fate of kings: just as their parents started to anticipate benefiting from the sons’ newly gained wealth and jewels, those kings were killed—highlighting the sudden reversals brought by conflict and destiny.