Shloka 19
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
कॉल्लोकांस्तु गमिष्यामि कृत्वा कर्म सुदुष्करम् | अघातयं च यत् कर्ण समरेष्वपलायिनम्
kāllokāṁstu gamiṣyāmi kṛtvā karma suduṣkaram | aghātayaṁ ca yat karṇa samareṣvapalāyinam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «J’irai vers les mondes de la mort, après avoir accompli un acte des plus difficiles et des plus funestes ; car c’est moi qui ai fait en sorte que Karṇa, qui ne fuyait jamais le combat, fût mis à mort dans les guerres.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability after violence: even when war is fought under kṣatriya-duty, the mind may still confront remorse for causing the death of a noble, steadfast opponent. It frames ethical reflection as inseparable from action and its consequences.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira laments the outcomes of the war. Here he confesses that he feels destined for the realms of Death because he was a cause in Karṇa’s killing—praising Karṇa’s unwavering bravery (‘one who did not flee in battle’) while expressing personal guilt.