Shloka 4

राजधर्मः—राष्ट्ररक्षणं, दण्डनीतिः, हयग्रीवोपाख्यानम्

Royal Duty: Protection, Penal Policy, and the Hayagrīva Exemplum

Devanagari script

महर्षे! पति और पुत्रोंसे हीन हुई युवतियोंका करुण विलाप सुनकर मुझे शान्ति नहीं मिल रही है ।। इत्युक्त: प्रत्युवाचेदं व्यासो योगविदां वर: । युधिष्ठिरं महाप्राज्ञो धर्मज्ञो वेदपारग:,युधिष्ठिके ऐसा कहनेपर योगवेत्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ और वेदोंके पारंगत दिद्वान्‌ धर्मज्ञ महाज्ञानी व्यासने उनसे फिर इस प्रकार कहा

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | maharṣe! pati-putra-vihīnā yuvatīnāṃ karuṇa-vilāpaṃ śrutvā me śāntiṃ na labhe || ity uktaḥ pratyuvācedaṃ vyāso yogavidāṃ varaḥ | yudhiṣṭhiraṃ mahāprājño dharmajño vedapāragaḥ—yudhiṣṭhireṇaivaṃ ukte vyāsaḥ punar idaṃ uvāca ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô grand sage ! En entendant la plainte déchirante de jeunes femmes privées d’époux et de fils, je ne trouve point la paix.» Lorsqu’il eut ainsi parlé, Vyāsa—le premier parmi les connaisseurs du yoga, d’une sagesse profonde, connaisseur du dharma et maître des Veda—répondit de nouveau à Yudhiṣṭhira en ces termes.

Word by Word

• {'maharṣe': 'O great seer (vocative of maharṣi)', 'pati': 'husband', 'putra': 'son', 'vihīnā': 'deprived of, bereft of', 'yuvatī': 'young woman', 'karuṇa': 'piteous, compassionate, sorrowful', 'vilāpa': 'lamentation, wailing', 'śrutvā': 'having heard', 'śānti': 'peace, inner calm, consolation', 'na labhe': 'I do not obtain / I cannot find', 'ity uktaḥ': 'having been spoken thus / when this was said', 'pratyuvāca': 'replied, answered back', 'vyāsaḥ': 'Vyāsa (Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana), the sage', 'yogavidāṃ varaḥ': 'best among the knowers of yoga', 'mahāprājñaḥ': 'greatly wise', 'dharmajñaḥ': 'knower of dharma', 'vedapāragaḥ': 'one who has gone to the far shore of the Vedas

• master of the Vedas', 'punar': 'again', 'idaṃ uvāca': 'said this'}

Speaker

युधिषछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Vyāsa
• young women (widows and bereaved mothers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the ethical problem of post-war suffering: even a righteous king is shaken by the cries of those harmed by conflict. It sets up Vyāsa’s dharma-instruction, implying that true śānti (peace) requires confronting responsibility, understanding dharma beyond victory, and cultivating inner steadiness through wisdom and disciplined insight.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva, after the devastation of the war, Yudhiṣṭhira confesses that he cannot find peace because he hears the sorrowful wailing of young women who have lost husbands and sons. Vyāsa, described as a master of yoga, dharma, and the Vedas, begins to respond, leading into further counsel meant to guide Yudhiṣṭhira toward peace and righteous governance.