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

Yudhiṣṭhira bertanya: “Apakah pelepasan batin, ziarah ke tīrtha (tempat suci), atau japa atas Śruti dan Smṛti dapat menjadi sarana yang ampuh untuk penyucian diri dan penebusan beban moral—sebuah jalan dharma yang bertumpu pada disiplin, bukan semata tampilan lahiriah?”

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.