Shloka 45
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पाण्डवेषु प्रीति-वृत्तान्तः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Affectionate Disposition toward the Pāṇḍavas
महाराज! इस राज्यसे, इन भोगोंसे, इन यज्ञोंसे अथवा इस सुख-सामग्रीसे मुझे क्या लाभ हुआ? जब कि मेरे ही पास रहकर आपको इतने दुःख उठाने पड़े ।। पीडित॑ं चापि जानामि राज्यमात्मानमेव च । अनेन वचसा तुभ्यं दुःखितस्य जनेश्वर,जनेश्वर! आप दुःखी होकर जो ऐसी बात कह रहे हैं, इससे मैं उस समस्त राज्यको और अपनेको भी दुःखित समझता हूँ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | mahārāja! asya rājyasya, ebhir bhogaiḥ, ebhir yajñaiḥ athavā asyāḥ sukha-sāmagrayā mama kiṃ prayojanam? yadā mamaiva pārśve tiṣṭhan bhavān evaṃ bahūni duḥkhāni soḍhavān || pīḍitaṃ cāpi jānāmi rājyam ātmānam eva ca | anena vacasā tubhyaṃ duḥkhitasya janeśvara ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Maharaja, apakah keuntungan yang aku peroleh daripada kerajaan ini—daripada kenikmatan ini, daripada korban suci ini, atau daripada seluruh kelengkapan kesenangan ini—sedangkan engkau, meski tinggal dekat denganku, terpaksa menanggung penderitaan sebesar itu? Dan, wahai tuan manusia, mendengar engkau berkata demikian dalam dukacita, aku memandang seluruh kerajaan ini dan bahkan diriku sendiri sebagai turut terdera.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly power and ritual merit lose their value when they are accompanied by the suffering of elders and dependents; ethical kingship is measured not by possessions but by the well-being of those one is responsible for, and remorse can become a doorway to detachment.
In the Āśramavāsika context, Yudhiṣṭhira responds to a grieving elder/kingly figure, lamenting that despite having gained the kingdom and its pleasures and sacrificial prestige, he sees no benefit because the other has suffered greatly even while near him; he therefore considers both the kingdom and himself ‘afflicted’ by that sorrow.