Shloka 4
Āśvamedhika-parva, Adhyāya 14
Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira; Rites and Gifts; Return to Hastināpura
अन्यैश्व पुरुषव्याघ्रैग्राह्मणै: शास्त्रदृष्टिभि: व्यजहाच्छोकजं दु:खं संतापं चैव मानसम्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन्! इस प्रकार साक्षात् विष्टरश्रवा (विस्तृत यशवाले) भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण, श्रीकृष्णद्वैपायन व्यास, देवस्थान, नारद, भीमसेन, नकुल, द्रौपदी, सहदेव, बुद्धिमान् अर्जुन तथा अन्यान्य श्रेष्ठ पुरुषों और शास्त्रदर्शी ब्राह्मणों एवं तपोधन मुनियोंके बहुविध वचनोंद्वारा समझाने-बुझानेपर जिनके भाई-बन्धु मारे गये थे, उन राजर्षि युधिष्ठिरका मन शान्त हुआ और उन्होंने शोकजनित दुःख तथा मानसिक संतापको त्याग दिया
anyaiś ca puruṣavyāghraiḥ brāhmaṇaiḥ śāstradṛṣṭibhiḥ vyajahāc chokajaṁ duḥkhaṁ santāpaṁ caiva mānasam | vaiśampāyana uvāca—rājan, evaṁ sākṣād viṣṭaraśravā bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇaḥ, śrīkṛṣṇadvaipāyana vyāsaḥ, devasthānaḥ, nāradaḥ, bhīmasenaḥ, nakulaḥ, draupadī, sahadevaḥ, buddhimān arjunaś ca tathā anye śreṣṭhapuruṣāḥ śāstradarśinaś ca brāhmaṇāḥ tapodhanā munayaś ca bahuvidhair vacanaiḥ samāśvāsya, bhrātṛbandhuhate rājārṣi-yudhiṣṭhirasya manaḥ praśāntaṁ babhūva; sa ca śokajaṁ duḥkhaṁ mānasaṁ santāpaṁ ca tyaktavān |
Vaiśampāyana said: O King, thus, when the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa—renowned far and wide—together with Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, Nārada, Bhīmasena, Nakula, Draupadī, Sahadeva, the wise Arjuna, and many other eminent men, along with scripture-guided brāhmaṇas and ascetic sages, consoled him with varied counsel, the mind of the royal seer Yudhiṣṭhira—whose kinsmen had been slain—became calm. He set aside grief-born sorrow and the inner burning of mental anguish.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even righteous persons may be overwhelmed by grief after violence and loss; steadiness is restored through dharmic counsel—words grounded in śāstra, wisdom, and compassion—leading to the relinquishing of grief-born suffering and mental torment.
After the devastation of the war, Yudhiṣṭhira is burdened by sorrow for slain relatives. Kṛṣṇa, Vyāsa, Nārada, the Pāṇḍavas, Draupadī, and other learned brāhmaṇas and sages speak to him in many ways, and his mind becomes calm as he abandons his grief and inner distress.