Shloka 51
Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्तो भगवता धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर: । चिन्तयित्वा मुहूर्तेन प्रत्युवाच तपोधनम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca evam ukto bhagavatā dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | cintayitvā muhūrtena pratyuvāca tapodhanam ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Ainsi admonesté par le vénérable sage, le roi Yudhiṣṭhira—ferme dans le dharma—réfléchit un moment, puis répondit au trésor de l’ascèse (Vyāsa) en ces termes.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic mode of response: before speaking, a righteous person pauses to reflect. Ethical speech is portrayed as deliberate and guided by reverence for wise counsel.
After being addressed by the venerable sage (Vyāsa), Yudhiṣṭhira thinks briefly and then begins his reply. The narrator Vaiśampāyana marks the transition from instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira’s considered response.