Shloka 4

शोकाकुल-युधिष्ठिरं प्रति कुन्त्याः कालोचितोपदेशः | Kuntī’s Timely Counsel to the Grief-Stricken Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर महाबाहो नैनं शोचितुम्सि । जहि शोकं महाप्राज्ञ शुणु चेदं वचो मम,“महाबाहु युधिष्ठिर! तुम्हें कर्णके लिये शोक नहीं करना चाहिये। महामते! शोक छोड़ो और मेरी यह बात सुनो

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | yudhiṣṭhira mahābāho nainaṃ śocitुम arhasi | jahi śokaṃ mahāprājña śṛṇu cedaṃ vaco mama ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira yang berlengan perkasa, engkau tidak patut meratapi dia. Wahai yang berakal besar, buanglah dukacita dan dengarkan kata-kataku ini.”

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरO Yudhiṣṭhira

महाबाहोO mighty-armed one

नnot

एनम्him (this person)

शोचितुम्to grieve (to mourn)

अर्हसिyou ought / you should

जहिabandon / give up / slay

शोकम्grief

महाप्राज्ञO great-wise one

शृणुlisten

चand

इदम्this

वचःspeech / words

ममof me / my

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira

Karna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Grief should not be allowed to overwhelm discernment; one must set aside sorrow and become receptive to wise counsel, especially when reflecting on duty and consequences after great loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s post-war setting, Vaiśampāyana addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, urging him to stop lamenting (here, for Karṇa) and to listen, signaling the start of instructive guidance meant to steady the king’s mind.