Shloka 45
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
महाराज! इस राज्यसे, इन भोगोंसे, इन यज्ञोंसे अथवा इस सुख-सामग्रीसे मुझे क्या लाभ हुआ? जब कि मेरे ही पास रहकर आपको इतने दुःख उठाने पड़े ।। पीडित॑ं चापि जानामि राज्यमात्मानमेव च । अनेन वचसा तुभ्यं दुःखितस्य जनेश्वर,जनेश्वर! आप दुःखी होकर जो ऐसी बात कह रहे हैं, इससे मैं उस समस्त राज्यको और अपनेको भी दुःखित समझता हूँ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | mahārāja! asya rājyasya, ebhir bhogaiḥ, ebhir yajñaiḥ athavā asyāḥ sukha-sāmagrayā mama kiṃ prayojanam? yadā mamaiva pārśve tiṣṭhan bhavān evaṃ bahūni duḥkhāni soḍhavān || pīḍitaṃ cāpi jānāmi rājyam ātmānam eva ca | anena vacasā tubhyaṃ duḥkhitasya janeśvara ||
ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರನು ಹೇಳಿದನು— ಮಹಾರಾಜ! ಈ ರಾಜ್ಯ, ಈ ಭೋಗಗಳು, ಈ ಯಜ್ಞಗಳು, ಈ ಸುಖಸಾಮಗ್ರಿ—ಇವುಗಳಿಂದ ನನಗೆ ಏನು ಲಾಭ, ನನ್ನ ಸಮೀಪದಲ್ಲೇ ಇದ್ದರೂ ನೀವು ಇಷ್ಟು ದುಃಖವನ್ನು ಸಹಿಸಬೇಕಾದಾಗ? ಮತ್ತು ಓ ಜನೇಶ್ವರ! ನೀವು ದುಃಖದಿಂದ ಇಂತೆಂದು ಹೇಳುವುದನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿ, ಈ ಸಮಸ್ತ ರಾಜ್ಯವನ್ನೂ ನನ್ನನ್ನೂ ಸಹ ಪೀಡಿತವೆಂದು ನಾನು ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತೇನೆ.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly power and ritual merit lose their value when they are accompanied by the suffering of elders and dependents; ethical kingship is measured not by possessions but by the well-being of those one is responsible for, and remorse can become a doorway to detachment.
In the Āśramavāsika context, Yudhiṣṭhira responds to a grieving elder/kingly figure, lamenting that despite having gained the kingdom and its pleasures and sacrificial prestige, he sees no benefit because the other has suffered greatly even while near him; he therefore considers both the kingdom and himself ‘afflicted’ by that sorrow.