Shloka 37

Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)

Devanagari script

निवृत्त्या तीर्थगमनाच्छुतिस्मृतिजपेन वा

Transliteration

nivṛttyā tīrthagamanāc chrutismṛtijapena vā

Translation

युधिष्ठिर ने पूछा—क्या अंतःकरण की निवृत्ति, तीर्थों की यात्रा, अथवा श्रुति-स्मृति का जप—इनमें से कोई उपाय पाप-भार की शुद्धि और प्रायश्चित्त के लिए पर्याप्त है?

Word by Word

• निवृत्त्या: by withdrawal/cessation (renunciation)
• निवृत्त्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवृत्ति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• तीर्थगमनात्: from pilgrimage/going to sacred fords
• तीर्थगमनात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थगमन
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• श्रुतिस्मृतिजपेन: by recitation of the Veda and Smṛti
• श्रुतिस्मृतिजपेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुतिस्मृतिजप
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• tīrtha (pilgrimage sites)
• śruti
• smṛti

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a dharmic inquiry into means of purification and moral repair: inner renunciation (nivṛtti), sacred pilgrimage (tīrtha-gamana), and scriptural recitation (śruti-smṛti-japa) are presented as recognized disciplines, inviting evaluation of their ethical efficacy and sincerity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira—seeking guidance after the war—raises a pointed question about which practices can truly cleanse wrongdoing and restore dharma: inward withdrawal, pilgrimage, or recitation of authoritative texts.