Shloka 8
Gāndhārī’s Petition for a Vision of the Departed (गान्धार्याः प्रार्थना—दिव्यदर्शनप्रसङ्गः)
धिग् राज्यमिदमस्माकं धिग् बल॑ धिक् पराक्रमम् । क्षत्रधर्म च धिग् यस्मान्मृता जीवामहे वयम्
dhig rājyam idam asmākaṁ dhig balaṁ dhig parākramam | kṣatradharmaṁ ca dhig yasmān mṛtā jīvāmahe vayam ||
നമ്മുടെ ഈ രാജ്യം ധിക്കാരം—ബലം ധിക്കാരം, പരാക്രമം ധിക്കാരം, ഈ ക്ഷത്രധർമ്മവും ധിക്കാരം; കാരണം ഞങ്ങൾ മരിച്ചവരെപ്പോലെ ആയിട്ടും ജീവിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a moral crisis: worldly power, strength, and even the sanctioned ‘warrior code’ become objects of self-reproach when they are felt to have led to catastrophic loss. It highlights the Mahābhārata’s insistence that dharma is not merely rule-following but must be weighed against human suffering and inner conscience.
In the Āśramavāsika context, after the devastation of the Kurukṣetra war and amid continuing grief, Yudhiṣṭhira condemns kingship and martial ideals. His words reflect despair and guilt, setting the emotional ground for the turn toward withdrawal, ascetic life, and reflection on the costs of rule and violence.