Shloka 3
Vāsudeva’s Upadeśa: The Inner Enemy and the Indra–Vṛtra Precedent (आत्मशत्रु-बोधः; इन्द्र-वृत्रोपाख्यानम्)
निर्विण्णमनसं पार्थ ज्ञात्वा वृष्णिकुलोदह: | आश्वासयन् धर्मसुतं प्रवक्तुमुपचक्रमे,जाति-भाइयोंके मारे जानेसे युधिष्ठिरका मन शोकसे दीन एवं व्याकुल हो रहा था। वे राहुग्रस्त सूर्य और धूमयुक्त अग्निके समान निस्तेज हो गये थे। विशेषतः उनका मन राज्यकी ओरसे खिन्न एवं विरक्त हो गया था। यह सब जानकर वृष्णिवंशभूषण श्रीकृष्णने कुन्तीकुमार धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिको आश्वासन देते हुए इस प्रकार कहना आरम्भ किया
vaiśampāyana uvāca | nirviṇṇamanasaṃ pārtha jñātvā vṛṣṇikulodvahaḥ | āśvāsayan dharmasutaṃ pravaktum upacakrame ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Knowing that Pārtha (Yudhiṣṭhira), his mind sunk in despondency, had grown weary and disenchanted—especially toward kingship—Kṛṣṇa, the foremost of the Vṛṣṇi line, began to console the son of Dharma and commenced to speak. The verse frames a moral crisis after slaughter among kin: the righteous king, shaken by grief and guilt, turns away from power, and Kṛṣṇa steps in to steady him with counsel grounded in dharma and responsibility.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a key ethical tension: after catastrophic violence among relatives, even a righteous ruler may feel revulsion toward power. Dharma is not merely personal purity or withdrawal; it also includes steadiness, counsel, and the responsible acceptance of duty. Kṛṣṇa’s role begins here as a moral stabilizer—redirecting grief into principled action.
Yudhiṣṭhira has become deeply dejected and disinclined toward ruling in the aftermath of the war and the deaths of kin. Recognizing this inner collapse, Kṛṣṇa—described as the foremost of the Vṛṣṇis—reassures him and begins a speech meant to restore his resolve and clarify his dharmic obligations.