Shloka 41
Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)
सुखोचितमदु:खार्ह सुकुमारं महारथम् । अपि जातु महाबाहो पश्येयं नकुलं पुनः,“महाबाहो! क्या मैं सुख-भोगके योग्य, दुःख भोगनेके अयोग्य एवं सुकुमार महारथी नकुलको फिर कभी देख सकूँगी?
sukhocitam aduḥkhārha sukumāraṃ mahāratham | api jātu mahābāho paśyeyaṃ nakulaṃ punaḥ ||
“Wahai yang berlengan perkasa, akankah aku pernah lagi memandang Nakula—yang dibesarkan untuk kenyamanan, tak layak menanggung derita, lembut rupanya namun seorang maharathi?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human cost of impending war: even a warrior’s excellence (mahāratha) does not erase a loved one’s fear for his suffering. It ethically frames conflict through compassion and the vulnerability of those who must send the ‘comfort-raised’ into hardship.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker expresses anxious longing to see Nakula again, describing him as tender and accustomed to comfort, and wonders whether he will survive the coming trials to be seen once more.