Shloka 24
कस्तस्य विश्वसेद् वीरो दुष्कृतेरकृतात्मन: । अथवा पुरुषैर्गूढै: प्रयोगो5यं दुरात्मन:
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
kastasyā viśvased vīro duṣkṛter akṛtātmanaḥ |
athavā puruṣair gūḍhaiḥ prayogo 'yaṃ durātmanaḥ |
dharmaputro mahābāhur vilalāpa suvistaram ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «Quel héros pourrait se fier à un homme pareil—voué aux actes mauvais et dépourvu de maîtrise de soi ? Ou bien, ce stratagème violent a pu être mené par des agents dissimulés, sur l’instigation de quelque esprit malfaisant.» Voyant ses frères gisant sans vie, Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira, aux bras puissants, s’abîma dans le chagrin et se lamenta longuement—soupçonnant la trahison et condamnant le désordre moral de ceux pour qui le juste et l’injuste sont devenus une seule et même chose.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical judgment: a person lacking self-control (akṛtātmā) and habituated to wrongdoing (duṣkṛti) becomes untrustworthy, and secretive ‘stratagems’ (prayoga) carried out through hidden agents (gūḍha-puruṣa) are marks of adharma. It highlights how moral character determines credibility and how covert violence corrodes righteous order.
After seeing his brothers fallen and apparently lifeless, Yudhiṣṭhira laments extensively and tries to identify the cause. He suspects that such a deed could come from Śakuni’s crooked intellect or from Duryodhana acting through concealed agents—interpreting the calamity as the result of hostile, deceitful plotting.