Shloka 9
Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)
अपश्यन्त्य: पित्न् भ्रातृत् पतीन् पुत्रांश्व योषित: । त्यक्त्वा प्राणान् स्त्रिय: सर्वा गमिष्यन्ति यमक्षयम्,अपने पिता, भाई, पति और पुत्रोंको न देखकर वे सारी युवती स्त्रियाँ प्राण त्याग देंगी और यमलोकमें चली जायँगी
apaśyantyaḥ pitṝn bhrātṝn patīn putrāṁś ca yoṣitaḥ | tyaktvā prāṇān striyaḥ sarvā gamiṣyanti yamakṣayam ||
ತಮ್ಮ ತಂದೆ, ಸಹೋದರ, ಪತಿ, ಪುತ್ರರನ್ನು ಕಾಣದೆ ಆ ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯರೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಪ್ರಾಣತ್ಯಾಗ ಮಾಡಿ ಯಮಲೋಕಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರಳುವರು.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of violence: when male kin are destroyed, women and the household structure collapse into grief and despair, pointing to the broader dharmic warning that war’s harm extends beyond the battlefield into family and society.
Yudhiṣṭhira is describing the aftermath of widespread killing: women, unable to find their fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons, are portrayed as giving up life and going to Yama’s realm—an intense lament meant to highlight the devastation caused by conflict.