Shloka 42
Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)
ऊर्ध्वबाहु: स्मरन् मातु: प्ररुरोद युधिष्ठिर: । “अहो! धिक््कार है!' इस प्रकार अपनी निन्दा करके राजा युधिष्ठिर बहुत दुःखी हो गये तथा दोनों भुजाएँ ऊपर उठाकर अपनी माताको याद करके फूट-फूटकर रोने लगे ।।
Ūrdhvabāhuḥ smaran mātuḥ praruroda Yudhiṣṭhiraḥ. “Aho! dhikkāraḥ hai!” iti svanindāṃ kṛtvā rājā Yudhiṣṭhiraḥ atiduḥkhito ’bhavat; ubhau bhujau ūrdhvaṃ kṛtvā mātaraṃ smaran phūṭ-phūṭ-kara roditaḥ. Bhīmasenapurogāś ca bhrātaraḥ sarva eva te ruroduḥ. Mahārāja, Kuntīyāḥ tādṛśīṃ daśāṃ śrutvā antaḥpure ’pi ruditavilāpasya mahān śabdaḥ śrūyate sma.
Vaiśampāyana dit : Se souvenant de sa mère, le roi Yudhiṣṭhira leva les bras au ciel et éclata en sanglots. Dans le blâme de soi, il s’écria : « Hélas, honte à moi ! », et fut submergé de chagrin. À cette vue, tous ses frères, conduits par Bhīmasena, se mirent eux aussi à pleurer. Et, ô roi, lorsqu’on apprit l’état de Kuntī, un grand tumulte de lamentations s’éleva jusque dans les appartements intérieurs.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of responsibility and the sincerity of remorse: even a dharmic ruler like Yudhiṣṭhira is shaken by the suffering connected to his mother, and his self-reproach shows that moral sensitivity and accountability are integral to dharma.
Yudhiṣṭhira, remembering his mother Kuntī, raises his arms in anguish and weeps loudly while condemning himself. His brothers, led by Bhīma, also begin to cry, and the lament spreads into the inner apartments when Kuntī’s condition becomes known.