Shloka 69
Ajñātavāsa-saṅkalpaḥ — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Resolve and Dhaumya’s Exempla on Concealment
फलाहारो<स्मि निष्क्रान्तस्त्वया सह सुमध्यमे । ततः पाटयत: काष्ठं शिरसो मे रुजाभवत्,मार्कण्डेयजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! तब होशमें आकर सत्यवान् सुखपूर्वक सोये हुए पुरुषकी भाँति उठकर सम्पूर्ण दिशाओं तथा वनप्रान््तकी ओर दृष्टि डालकर बोले --'सुमध्यमे! मैं फल लानेके लिये तुम्हारे साथ घरसे निकला था, फिर लकड़ी चीरते समय मेरे सिरमें जोर-जोरसे दर्द होने लगा था
phalāhāro ’smi niṣkrāntas tvayā saha sumadhyame | tataḥ pāṭayataḥ kāṣṭhaṁ śiraso me rujābhavat |
Yama said: “O slender-waisted one, I had set out from home with you to gather fruits. Then, while splitting wood, a severe pain arose in my head.” In the narrative frame, this recalls the sudden bodily affliction that precipitates the crisis, testing steadfastness, truthfulness, and the power of dharma in the face of death’s approach.
यम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how an unexpected physical crisis can become the immediate occasion for a dharmic test: when suffering and death draw near, the ethical qualities of steadiness, truthfulness, and right conduct become decisive.
A man recounts that he went out with the woman to gather fruits, and while splitting wood he was struck by intense head pain—an ominous symptom that sets in motion the ensuing encounter with death (Yama) and the dharma-centered dialogue that follows.