Shloka 38

Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)

Devanagari script

त्यागवांश्व पुनः पापं नालंकर्तुमिति श्रुति: । त्यागवाञ्जन्ममरणे नाप्रोतीति श्रुतिर्यदा

Transliteration

tyāgavāṃś ca punaḥ pāpaṃ nālaṅkartum iti śrutiḥ | tyāgavāñ janma-maraṇe nāprāpnotīti śrutir yadā ||

Translation

ຢຸທິສຖິຣະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ຄຳສອນໃນສຣຸຕິ (Śruti) ກ່າວວ່າ ຜູ້ສະຫຼະລະ (tyāga) ແລ້ວ ບໍ່ອາດນຳບາບກັບມາເປັນ ‘ເຄື່ອງປະດັບ’ ອີກ—ບໍ່ອາດເລືອກມັນເປັນວິຖີຊີວິດໂດຍເຈດຕະນາ. ແລະເມື່ອສຣຸຕິດຽວກັນກ່າວຕໍ່ວ່າ ຜູ້ສະຫຼະລະບໍ່ຕົກໃນວົງຈອນເກີດ–ຕາຍ, ພວກເຮົາຄວນເຂົ້າໃຈຄຳສອນທັງສອງນີ້ຮ່ວມກັນແນວໃດ?»

Word by Word

त्यागवान्one who has renunciation; the renouncer

चand

पुनःagain; further

पापम्sin; evil

नnot

अलङ्कर्तुम्to adorn; to take on; to assume

इतिthus (quotative)

श्रुतिःscriptural statement; tradition; śruti

त्यागवान्the renouncer

जन्ममरणेin birth and death

नnot

आप्नोतिattains; reaches; obtains

इतिthus

श्रुतिःśruti; scriptural statement

यदाwhen

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Renunciation is presented as ethically transformative: a true renouncer should not deliberately return to sinful conduct, and renunciation is linked—per śruti—to freedom from the bondage of repeated birth and death. The verse frames a doctrinal question about how these scriptural claims cohere.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse setting, Yudhiṣṭhira raises a pointed inquiry about scriptural authority: he cites śruti statements on the renouncer’s relation to sin and to saṃsāra, seeking clarification on their precise meaning and implications.