Shloka 9

शोकाकुल-युधिष्ठिरं प्रति कुन्त्याः कालोचितोपदेशः | Kuntī’s Timely Counsel to the Grief-Stricken Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

इत्युक्तो धर्मराजस्तु मात्रा बाष्पाकुलेक्षण: । उवाच वाक्यं धर्मात्मा शोकव्याकुलितेन्द्रिय:,माताके ऐसा कहनेपर धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरके नेत्रोंमें आँसू भर आया, शोकसे उनकी इन्द्रियाँ व्याकुल हो गयीं और वे धर्मात्मा नरेश उनसे इस प्रकार बोले--'माँ! आपने इस गोपनीय बातको गुप्त रखकर मुझे बड़ा कष्ट दिया"

Transliteration

ity ukto dharmarājas tu mātrā bāṣpākulekṣaṇaḥ | uvāca vākyaṃ dharmātmā śokavyākulitendriyaḥ ||

Translation

വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—മാതാവ് ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ ധർമ്മരാജൻ യുധിഷ്ഠിരന്റെ കണ്ണുകൾ കണ്ണീരാൽ നിറഞ്ഞു. ദുഃഖം അവന്റെ ഇന്ദ്രിയങ്ങളെ കലക്കി; ആ ധർമ്മാത്മാവായ രാജാവ് മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞു—“അമ്മേ! ഈ രഹസ്യകാര്യം മറച്ചു വെച്ച് നീ എന്നെ വലിയ വേദനയിൽ ആക്കി.”

Word by Word

इतिthus

उक्तःhaving been spoken to / addressed

धर्मराजःKing Dharma (Yudhiṣṭhira)

तुbut/indeed

मात्राby (his) mother

बाष्पाकुल-ईक्षणःwhose eyes were filled with tears

उवाचsaid/spoke

वाक्यम्a statement/words

धर्मात्माrighteous-souled

शोक-व्याकुलित-इन्द्रियःwhose senses were agitated by grief

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Mother (Kuntī)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical weight of concealed truth within family and dharma: secrecy meant to protect can still generate profound suffering and moral turmoil when revealed, especially for a ruler committed to righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Kuntī speaks to him, Yudhiṣṭhira is overcome with sorrow—his eyes brimming with tears—and he responds, expressing anguish that she kept a sensitive, confidential matter hidden from him.