Shloka 3
Āśvamedhika-parva Adhyāya 1 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament by the Gaṅgā and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel
उत्तीर्य तु महाबाहुर्बाष्पव्याकुललोचन: । पपात तीरे गड़ाया व्याधविद्ध इव द्विप:
uttīrya tu mahābāhur bāṣpa-vyākula-locanaḥ | papāta tīre gaṅgāyā vyādha-viddha iva dvipaḥ ||
川から上がるや、強大な腕をもつユディシュティラは、涙に曇った眼をして、ガンガーの岸辺に崩れ落ちた。まるで狩人の矢に射抜かれた大象のごとくであった。この場面は、過ぎし暴力の道義的重荷と責任を背負う正しき王でさえ、悲嘆によって肉体までも打ち砕かれ得ることを示している。
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and emotional cost of power and conflict: even a dharmic ruler may be overwhelmed by remorse and sorrow, and true righteousness includes acknowledging suffering rather than masking it.
After emerging from the Gaṅgā, Yudhiṣṭhira—eyes streaming with tears—falls on the riverbank, compared to an elephant felled by a hunter’s arrow, signaling intense grief and exhaustion.