Shloka 19

Yudhiṣṭhira’s Grief, Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation, and Vyāsa’s Admonition (युधिष्ठिरशोक-निवारणोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

मैवं भव न ते युक्तमिदमज्ञानमीदृशम्‌ । प्रायश्षित्तानि सर्वाणि विदितानि च तेडनघ । राजधर्मश्न ते सर्वे दानधर्माश्च ते श्रुता:

Transliteration

māivaṁ bhava na te yuktam idam ajñānam īdṛśam | prāyaścittāni sarvāṇi viditāni ca te 'n-agha | rājadharmāś ca te sarve dānadharmāś ca te śrutāḥ ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ne sois pas ainsi. Il ne te sied pas de te réfugier dans une telle ignorance. Ô roi sans faute, tu connais déjà toutes les formes d’expiation ; et tu as entendu et appris toutes les règles du devoir royal et les devoirs du don. Ne parle donc pas et n’agis pas comme si tu ignorais le dharma.»

Word by Word

• {'mā': 'do not', 'evaṁ': 'thus, in this manner', 'bhava': 'be (imperative)', 'na te yuktam': 'not proper/fitting for you', 'idam': 'this', 'ajñānam': 'ignorance, lack of right understanding', 'īdṛśam': 'of this kind, such', 'prāyaścittāni': 'expiations, acts of atonement', 'sarvāṇi': 'all', 'viditāni': 'known, understood', 'ca': 'and', 'te': 'to you/your', 'anagha (an-agha)': 'sinless, blameless', 'rājadharmāḥ': 'duties of kingship, royal law/ethics', 'dānadharmāḥ': 'duties of giving/charity, ethics of donation', 'śrutāḥ': 'heard, learned (from tradition/teaching)'}

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• a sinless king (anagha) (addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should not pretend ignorance of dharma: one who knows expiation (prāyaścitta), royal duty (rājadharma), and the ethics of giving (dānadharma) must act with moral clarity and responsibility rather than despair or confusion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira rebukes and steadies the addressed king, urging him to abandon a posture of helpless ignorance and to remember his learning in expiation, governance, and charity—implying that the situation requires dharmic action, not self-doubt.