Shloka 11
Chapter 26: Śoka-pratiṣedha, Hata-saṅkhyā, Gati-vibhāga, Pretakārya-ājñā
Restraint of Grief, Count of the Slain, Destinies, and Funerary Directives
धृतराष्ट उवाच युधिष्ठिर गतिं कां ते गता: पुरुषसत्तम । आचक्ष्व मे महाबाहो सर्वज्ञों हसि मे मत:
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
yudhiṣṭhira gatiṁ kāṁ te gatāḥ puruṣasattama |
ācakṣva me mahābāho sarvajño 'si me mataḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, best of men, what course and condition have you reached? Tell me, O mighty-armed one; in my view you are all-knowing.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical need for self-examination after catastrophe: a ruler must ask what ‘gati’ (course/state) one has reached—whether one’s mind, duty, and conduct remain aligned with dharma amid grief and responsibility.
In the Strī Parva’s mourning context after the great war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and asks him to explain what state he has come to—seeking an account of Yudhiṣṭhira’s disposition and resolve, and treating him as a reliable, discerning knower.