Shloka 55
गदायुद्धप्रतिज्ञा — The Vow and Terms of the Mace Duel
युधिछिर उवाच आर्तप्रलापान्मा तात सलिलस्थ: प्रभाषिथा: । नैतन्मनसि मे राजन् वाशितं शकुनेरिव
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ārta-pralāpān mā tāta salila-sthaḥ prabhāṣiṭhāḥ | na etan manasi me rājan vāśitaṃ śakuner iva ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai raja, janganlah engkau berkata-kata dari dalam air dengan ratapan kacau seperti orang yang ditimpa sengsara. O raja, kata-kata itu tidak menetap dalam fikiranku dengan sebarang makna—bagaikan kicauan burung.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid crisis, one should avoid grief-driven, incoherent speech; words should be meaningful, restrained, and ethically grounded rather than mere emotional outbursts.
Yudhiṣṭhira rebukes a king who is speaking while situated in water, telling him not to lament like a distressed person; he dismisses the king’s words as meaningless, comparing them to the chirping of birds.