Shloka 11
Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)
यद् वयं सुह्ृदो हत्वा कृत्वा पापमनन्तकम् | नरके निपतिष्यामो हृथ:शिरस एव ह,हमने सुहृदोंका वध करके ऐसा पाप कर लिया है, जिसका प्रायश्चित्तसे अन्त नहीं हो सकता; अतः हमें नीचे सिर करके निस्संदेह नरकमें ही गिरना पड़ेगा
yad vayaṁ suhṛdo hatvā kṛtvā pāpam anantakam | narake nipatiṣyāmo hṛtaśirasa eva ha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Oleh sebab kami telah membunuh sahabat-sahabat yang menghendaki kebaikan bagi kami, lalu melakukan dosa yang tiada batas—dosa yang tiada penebusan dapat menghabiskannya—maka kami pasti akan jatuh ke neraka, terjun kepala dahulu dalam kehinaan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when violence is undertaken under the pressure of duty, the ethical weight of killing one’s own well-wishers can generate profound remorse; the verse foregrounds accountability, the fear of moral consequence, and the need to reflect on dharma beyond mere victory.
In the aftermath of the great war, Yudhiṣṭhira laments that by killing their own friends and well-wishers they have incurred immeasurable sin, and he fears inevitable descent into hell—expressing grief, shame, and moral anguish.