Shloka 4
यज्ञवाटवैभववर्णनम् / Description of the Splendour of the Sacrificial Enclosure
संचिन्तयामि कौन्तेयं रहो जिष्णुं जनार्दन । अतीव दुःखभागी स सतत पाण्डुनन्दन:
sañcintayāmi kaunteyaṁ raho jiṣṇuṁ janārdana | atīva duḥkhabhāgī sa satataṁ pāṇḍunandanaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Janārdana, ketika aku duduk menyendiri dan merenungkan Arjuna—putra Kuntī, sang pahlawan tak terkalahkan, Jishṇu—hatiku diliputi duka yang dalam. Sebab di antara kami, putra Pāṇḍu itulah yang tampak terus-menerus menanggung derita paling besar. Mengapa ia berulang kali dijauhkan dari kenyamanan dan bahagia?”
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a dharmic problem: even the most capable and righteous may bear disproportionate suffering. Yudhiṣṭhira’s question invites reflection on the interplay of destiny (daiva), past causes, and present duty—suggesting that virtue does not guarantee comfort, and that endurance and right action remain meaningful even amid recurring hardship.
In the Aśvamedhika context, after the great war, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to Kṛṣṇa in a reflective mood. Sitting alone, he thinks of Arjuna’s life—marked by repeated trials despite heroism and devotion—and asks Kṛṣṇa to explain why Arjuna seems continually burdened with sorrow more than the others.