Shloka 27
Rājarṣi-samāgamaḥ — Yudhiṣṭhirasya Dharma-parīkṣā ca
Meeting the Royal Sage and a Dharmic Audit
प्रजासंक्षेपसमये दण्डहस्तमिवान्तकम् । त॑ं दृष्टवा धर्मराजस्तु परिष्वज्य पुन: पुन:,उन्हें देखकर ऐसा प्रतीत होता था, मानो प्रजाके संहारकालमें दण्ड हाथमें लिये यमराज खड़े हों। भीमसेनको उस अवस्थामें देखकर धर्मराजने उन्हें बार-बार हृदयसे लगाया
prajāsaṃkṣepasamaye daṇḍahastam ivāntakam | taṃ dṛṣṭvā dharmarājas tu pariṣvajya punaḥ punaḥ |
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「その時、万有が滅びに臨むかのように見え、彼は杖を手に立つヤマ—死の神—そのもののようであった。かかる有様の彼を見て、法王ユディシュティラは悲しみと慈愛に胸を満たし、幾度も幾度も抱きしめた。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid fear and devastation, dharma expresses itself through compassion and humaneness: Yudhiṣṭhira responds not with harsh judgment but with repeated embrace, affirming familial duty, empathy, and moral steadiness in crisis.
Vaiśampāyana describes someone appearing terrifying—like Death holding a staff—yet Yudhiṣṭhira, seeing him in that distressed state, repeatedly embraces him, indicating deep concern and affection (traditionally understood as Yudhiṣṭhira consoling Bhīma after seeing his condition).