Shloka 15
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
तन्मे दहति गात्राणि यन्मां गुरुभाषत
tan me dahati gātrāṇi yan māṃ gurur abhāṣata | tadā gurur mām apṛcchat—“rājan, satyaṃ vada, kiṃ me putro jīvati?” | sa brāhmaṇaḥ satyanirṇayārthaṃ mām etad apṛcchat | tasya vākyasya smṛtyā me sarvaṃ śarīraṃ śokāgninā dagdhaṃ bhavati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ce souvenir me brûle les membres : les paroles que mon maître m’adressa jadis. Alors le guru me demanda : “Ô roi, dis la vérité : mon fils vit-il encore ?” Ce brāhmane ne questionnait que pour décider de ce qu’exigeait la vérité. Chaque fois que je me rappelle ses mots, tout mon corps se sent consumé par le feu du chagrin.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical weight of satya (truthfulness) and the inner suffering that can follow when truth is tested in painful circumstances. Even when a question is posed to ascertain truth, the moral burden and emotional consequences can be intense, reminding the listener that dharma is not merely rule-following but lived responsibility.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls a moment when his guru (a brāhmaṇa teacher) asked him directly whether the guru’s son was alive. The question was meant to force a clear decision about truth. Remembering that exchange now causes Yudhiṣṭhira deep anguish, described as his body burning in the fire of grief.