Shloka 2
स्त्रीपर्व — अध्याय १५: गान्धारी-युधिष्ठिर-संवादः
Gandhārī’s Confrontation and Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira
अधर्मो यदि वा धर्मस्त्रासात् तत्र मया कृत: । आत्मानं त्रातुकामेन तन्मे त्वं क्षन्तुमहसि,“माताजी! यह अधर्म हो या धर्म; मैंने दुर्योधनसे डरकर अपने प्राण बचानेके लिये ही वहाँ ऐसा किया था; अत: आप मेरे उस अपराधको क्षमा कर दें
adharmo yadi vā dharmas trāsāt tatra mayā kṛtaḥ | ātmānaṃ trātukāmena tan me tvaṃ kṣantum arhasi ||
‘Whether what I did there was unrighteous or righteous, I did it out of fear. Seeking only to save my own life, I acted so; therefore, O mother, you ought to forgive me for that fault.’
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability under fear: even when an act is driven by self-preservation, one must acknowledge possible wrongdoing and seek forgiveness, recognizing that fear does not automatically absolve ethical responsibility.
A speaker confesses to a mother-figure that, frightened of Duryodhana, he acted in a way that may have been adharma or dharma, motivated by the desire to save his own life, and he asks her to pardon his offense.