Shloka 16

Yudhiṣṭhira’s Grief, Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation, and Vyāsa’s Admonition (युधिष्ठिरशोक-निवारणोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

किमाकारा वयं तात प्रलपामो मुहुर्मुहुः । विदिता: क्षत्रधर्मस्ति येषां युद्धेन जीविका,“तात! अब हमलोग किस लायक रह गये। हम बारंबार जो कुछ कहते या समझाते हैं वह सब व्यर्थका प्रलाप सिद्ध हो रहा है। युद्धसे ही जिनकी जीविका चलती है, उन क्षत्रियोंके धर्म भलीभाँति तुम्हें विदित हैं

Transliteration

kimākārā vayaṃ tāta pralapāmo muhur muhuḥ | viditāḥ kṣatradharmāsti yeṣāṃ yuddhena jīvikā ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai yang terkasih, apakah jadinya kita sekarang? Berulang-ulang kita berbicara, namun semuanya berubah menjadi omong kosong belaka. Engkau telah mengetahui dengan baik dharma para kṣatriya—mereka yang penghidupannya terikat pada perang.”

Word by Word

किम्what

आकाराःforms/conditions/state

वयम्we

तातdear son/dear one

प्रलपामःwe prattle/speak idly

मुहुःagain and again

मुहुःrepeatedly

विदिताःknown/understood

क्षत्रधर्माःduties of kshatriyas

तेthose/they

येषाम्of whom/whose

युद्धेनby/through war

जीविकाlivelihood

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

kṣatriyas

kṣatra-dharma

yuddha (war)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the realism of kṣatriya-dharma: for warriors, duty is inseparable from the harsh economy of protection and battle. It critiques repeated moralizing or consoling speech when action and responsibility—already understood—define the situation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira, addressing someone affectionately as ‘tāta’, expresses frustration and self-reproach: their repeated words feel like futile prattle. He points to the already-known code of the warrior class, whose life and social role are tied to warfare.