Shloka 3
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)
युधिछिर उवाच यद्,ैक्ष्यमाचरिष्याम वृष्ण्यन्धकपुरे वयम् । ज्ञातीन् निष्पुरुषान् कृत्वा नेमां प्राप्स्याम दुर्गतिम्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: yad aikṣyam ācarīṣyāma Vṛṣṇy-Andhaka-pure vayam | jñātīn niṣpuruṣān kṛtvā nemāṁ prāpsyāma durgatim ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Quelle conduite devons-nous tenir dans la cité des Vṛṣṇi et des Andhaka ? Si nous rendons nos propres parents privés de leurs hommes—en anéantissant leurs protecteurs—ne tomberons-nous pas ainsi dans cette ruine accablante ?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical accountability: even when action seems politically necessary, harming one’s own kin and leaving families unprotected can generate grave moral and karmic consequences. Yudhiṣṭhira frames policy as a dharma-question—measuring outcomes not only by victory but by the righteousness and human cost of the means.
Yudhiṣṭhira voices doubt and seeks guidance about what they should do in the Vṛṣṇi-Andhaka domain. He worries that if their actions result in the destruction of their relatives’ male protectors and warriors, they may bring about a disastrous fate for themselves.