ऋषिसमागमः — युधिष्ठिरस्य शोकवर्णनम्
Sage Assembly and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Articulation of Grief
दिष्ट्या मुक्तस्तु संग्रामादस्माल्लोक भयंकरात् । क्षत्रधर्मरतश्चापि कच्चिन्मोदसि पाण्डव
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: diṣṭyā muktas tu saṅgrāmād asmāl loka-bhayaṅkarāt | kṣatra-dharma-rataś cāpi kaccin modasi pāṇḍava ||
Wahai Pāṇḍava, sungguh beruntung engkau telah terbebas dari peperangan yang menggentarkan dunia ini. Kini, teguh dalam dharma ksatria, apakah hatimu tenteram dan bersukacita?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Even after a righteous victory, the epic frames war as world-terrifying and morally weighty; the speaker tests whether the king can now return to kṣatriya-dharma—rule, protection, and responsibility—without being consumed by grief or triumphalism.
At the opening of Śānti Parva, Vaiśampāyana narrates a concerned address to the Pāṇḍava king (Yudhiṣṭhira), noting his escape from the dreadful war and asking whether he is now content while remaining committed to the duties of a kṣatriya.