Shloka 27
शान्ति पर्व (अध्याय 38): युधिष्ठिरस्य राजधर्म-जिज्ञासा तथा भीष्मोपसर्पण-प्रस्तावना | Shanti Parva Chapter 38: Yudhishthira’s Inquiry into Rajadharma and the Prelude to Approaching Bhishma
कि तेन स्याद्धि कौन्तेय कृत्वेमं ज्ञातिसंक्षयम् । घातयित्वा गुरूंश्वैव मृतं श्रेयो न जीवितम्
ki tena syād dhi kaunteya kṛtvemaṁ jñātisaṁkṣayam | ghātayitvā gurūṁś caiva mṛtaṁ śreyo na jīvitam ||
Cārvāka dit : «Ô fils de Kuntī, quel bien peut sortir de tout cela ? Après avoir causé la ruine de tes propres parents, et fait périr même tes aînés et tes maîtres, il vaudrait mieux pour toi être mort que de continuer à vivre.»
चारवक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse dramatizes a harsh ethical accusation: after fratricidal war and the death of revered elders/teachers, mere survival can feel morally empty. It foregrounds the tension between political victory and dharmic accountability, pushing the listener to confront responsibility, remorse, and the need for moral restoration.
Cārvāka addresses Yudhiṣṭhira (Kaunteya) with a condemnatory challenge, portraying him as responsible for the destruction of his own kin and the killing of gurus/elders, and declaring that death would be preferable to life after such deeds. This forms part of the post-war atmosphere of blame and grief in the Śānti Parva.