Shloka 13

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

Devanagari script

न पृथिव्या सकलया न सुवर्णस्य राशिभि: । न गवाश्वेन सर्वेण ते त्याज्या य इमे हता:,बहुकल्याणसंयुक्तानिच्छन्ति पितर: सुतान्‌ तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण सत्येन च तितिक्षया सभी पिता तपस्या, ब्रह्मचर्य-पालन, सत्यभाषण तथा तितिक्षा आदि साधनोंद्वारा अनेक कल्याणमय गुणोंसे युक्त बहुत-से पुत्र पाना चाहते हैं

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

na pṛthivyā sakalayā na suvarṇasya rāśibhiḥ |

na gavāśvena sarveṇa te tyājyā ya ime hatāḥ |

bahukalyāṇasaṃyuktān icchanti pitaraḥ sutān |

tapasā brahmacaryeṇa satyena ca titikṣayā ||

Translation

യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—സകല ഭൂമിക്കായാലും അല്ല, സ്വർണ്ണക്കൂമ്പാരങ്ങൾക്കായാലും അല്ല, എല്ലാ പശുക്കളും കുതിരകളും ലഭിച്ചാലും അല്ല—ഇവിടെ വധിക്കപ്പെട്ടവരെ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കേണ്ടതില്ല. പിതാക്കന്മാർ അനേകം മംഗളഗുണങ്ങളാൽ സമ്പന്നരായ പുത്രന്മാരെ തപസ്സ്, ബ്രഹ്മചര്യം, സത്യം, തിതിക്ഷ എന്നിവയിലൂടെ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• {'yudhiṣṭhira uvāca': 'Yudhiṣṭhira said', 'na ... na ... na': 'not ... nor ... nor (emphatic negation)', 'pṛthivī': 'the earth, kingdom, land', 'sakalā': 'entire, whole', 'suvarṇa': 'gold', 'rāśi': 'heap, mass, accumulation', 'go': 'cow, cattle (wealth)', 'aśva': 'horse (power, royal wealth)', 'sarva': 'all, entire', 'tyājya': 'to be abandoned, to be given up', 'ime': 'these (here, present before us)', 'hata': 'slain, killed', 'bahu': 'many', 'kalyāṇa': 'auspiciousness, welfare, virtue', 'saṃyukta': 'endowed with, joined with', 'icchanti': 'desire, wish for', 'pitaraḥ': 'fathers, ancestors', 'suta': 'son', 'tapas': 'austerity, ascetic discipline', 'brahmacarya': 'celibate discipline

• student-like self-restraint', 'satya': 'truth, truthfulness', 'titikṣā': 'forbearance, patient endurance'}

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• earth (pṛthivī)
• gold (suvarṇa)
• cattle (go)
• horses (aśva)
• fathers/ancestors (pitaraḥ)
• sons (sutāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Material gain—kingdom, gold, or livestock—cannot justify abandoning moral responsibility toward those who have died. True worth lies in cultivating virtue: austerity, self-restraint, truthfulness, and endurance, which are also the means by which worthy offspring and lasting welfare are sought.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the aftermath of devastating conflict, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the ethical cost of violence and wealth-driven ambition. He insists that no worldly prize compensates for the dead and turns the discussion toward the disciplines that produce genuine good—inner restraint and moral conduct.