Shloka 4
Adhyāya 60: Dāna vs. Yajña—Royal Giving, Protection, and Karmic Share
वयं हि तान् कुरून् हत्वा ज्ञातींश्व सुहददोडपि वा । अवाकु्शीर्षा: पतिष्यामो नरके नात्र संशय:,हमलोग अपने ही कुटुम्बीजन कौरवों तथा अन्य सुहृदोंका वध करके नीचे मुँह किये नरकमें गिरेंगे, इसमें संशय नहीं है
vayaṁ hi tān kurūn hatvā jñātīnś ca suhṛdo 'pi vā | avāk-śīrṣāḥ patiṣyāmo narake nātra saṁśayaḥ ||
If we kill those Kurus—our own kinsmen and even our well-wishers—we shall surely fall into hell, headlong and face-down; of this there is no doubt. Yudhiṣṭhira voices the moral dread that victory purchased by slaughter of one’s own family and allies becomes a grave ethical transgression rather than a triumph.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic fear that violence against one’s own relatives and benefactors is morally ruinous; even a ‘just’ objective can become tainted when achieved through kin-slaying, leading to grave karmic consequences.
Yudhiṣṭhira expresses remorse and apprehension: contemplating the killing of the Kurus—his own family and allies—he concludes that such an act would inevitably bring downfall into hell, underscoring his inner conflict about war and righteousness.