Shloka 12
Brahmāstra-prayogaḥ: Daśagrīvasya Māyā-vadhaḥ
Rāma–Rāvaṇa Encounter under Illusion
अस्ति नूनं मया कश्चिदल्पभाग्यतरो नर: । भवता दृष्टपूर्वो वा श्रुतपूर्वोपि वा भवेत्,अतः मैं पूछता हूँ, क्या संसारमें मेरे-जैसा मन्दभाग्य मनुष्य कोई और भी है अथवा आपने पहले कभी मुझ-जैसे भाग्यहीनको कहीं देखा या सुना है?
asti nūnaṃ mayā kaścid alpabhāgyataro naraḥ | bhavatā dṛṣṭapūrvo vā śrutapūrvo 'pi vā bhavet |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Surely there must exist some man even more ill-fated than I. Have you ever seen—or even heard of—someone as unfortunate as me?”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological moment: even a dharma-minded king like Yudhiṣṭhira can be overwhelmed by grief and interpret events as personal ill-fortune. It invites reflection on how suffering tests steadiness, and how one seeks perspective by asking whether one’s plight is unique or part of the human condition.
In the forest-exile context of the Vana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to an interlocutor (addressed as ‘bhavat’), expressing despair and asking whether anyone more unfortunate than himself has ever been seen or heard of—an emotional confession amid ongoing hardships.