Shloka 37
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
तेषां तु वचन श्रुत्वा दयावान् दीनभाषिणाम् | अहो कृच्छमिति प्राह तस्थौ स च युधिषछिर:,दीनतापूर्ण वचन कहनेवाले उन प्राणियोंकी बातें सुनकर दयालु राजा युधिष्ठिर वहाँ खड़े हो गये। उनके मुँहले सहसा निकल पड़ा--'अहो! इन बेचारोंको बड़ा कष्ट है!
teṣāṁ tu vacanaṁ śrutvā dayāvān dīna-bhāṣiṇām | aho kṛcchram iti prāha tasthau sa ca yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Hearing the words of those who spoke in misery, the compassionate Yudhiṣṭhira halted and exclaimed at once, “Alas, what hardship!”—moved by their suffering and responding with immediate pity.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dhārmic ruler’s first response to suffering is compassion: Yudhiṣṭhira does not ignore the distressed voices but stops and acknowledges their hardship, modeling ethical sensitivity and responsibility toward the afflicted.
As Vaiśampāyana narrates, Yudhiṣṭhira hears the lamenting words of miserable beings; moved by pity, he halts and blurts out, “Alas, what hardship,” indicating his immediate emotional and moral reaction to their plight.