Shloka 13
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
इतो दुःखतरं कि नु यदहं मातरं ततः । संविधातुं न शकनोमि मित्राणां वा जनार्दन,जनार्दन! इससे बढ़कर महान् दुःखकी बात और क्या हो सकती है कि मैं अपनी माता तथा मित्रोंका भी अच्छी तरह भरण-पोषणतक नहीं कर सकता
ito duḥkhataraṁ ki nu yad ahaṁ mātaraṁ tataḥ | saṁvidhātuṁ na śaknomi mitrāṇāṁ vā janārdana ||
യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ജനാർദന! ഇതിലേറെ ദുഃഖം എന്തുണ്ടാകും? ഞാൻ എന്റെ മാതാവിനെയും, എന്റെ സുഹൃത്തുകളെയും പോലും, യഥോചിതമായി പോഷിപ്പാൻ കഴിയുന്നില്ല.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical burden of leadership: a righteous person measures suffering not only by personal loss but by inability to fulfill duties of care—especially supporting one’s mother and dependents. It frames dharma as responsibility and provision, not merely victory or power.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana) with grief and self-reproach, lamenting that circumstances have reduced him to a state where he cannot adequately maintain his mother and companions—underscoring the Pandavas’ hardship and the moral urgency behind seeking a just settlement.