Shloka 45
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा—व्यासोपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and Vyāsa’s Counsel
त्वां तु शोकेन संतप्तं मुहामान मुहुर्मुहुः । ज्ञात्वा युधिष्ठिरो राजा प्राणानपि परित्यजेत्
tvāṁ tu śokena santaptaṁ muhāmāna muhur muhuḥ | jñātvā yudhiṣṭhiro rājā prāṇān api parityajet ||
But if King Yudhiṣṭhira were to learn that you are scorched by grief and repeatedly sinking into delusion, he would abandon even his own life. The statement underscores how the king’s sense of responsibility and affection makes him unable to bear the ruin of his loved ones after the war’s devastation.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked grief and repeated bewilderment can become so destructive that they threaten life itself; the verse highlights the ethical weight of caring for others’ mental state, especially for a dharmic ruler whose compassion and accountability make him unable to endure the suffering of those close to him.
Vyāsa warns that if Yudhiṣṭhira comes to know that the addressed person is overwhelmed by sorrow and repeatedly lapsing into confusion, the king—already burdened by the war’s consequences—might renounce life, showing the extreme fragility of the post-war emotional landscape.