Shloka 12
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
अहं हि समरे वीर गमित: शत्रुभि: क्षयम् । अभविष्यं यदि पुरा सह भ्रातृभिरच्युत
ahaṁ hi samare vīra gamitaḥ śatrubhiḥ kṣayam | abhaviṣyaṁ yadi purā saha bhrātṛbhir acyuta, na tvām evaṁ suduḥkhārtam adrākṣaṁ sāyakārditam ||
Disse Yudhiṣṭhira: “Ó herói, firme nos limites da tua honra! Se, outrora, eu já tivesse sido levado à destruição em batalha pelo inimigo—junto com meus irmãos—não teria de ver-te assim: trespassado por flechas e oprimido por uma dor insuportável.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical anguish and responsibility after violence: Yudhiṣṭhira laments that his survival has led to the unbearable sight of Krishna suffering. It highlights the dharmic sensitivity that even a righteous war leaves moral pain, and that one should feel accountable for the suffering of those who supported one’s cause.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Krishna (Acyuta), imagining a counterfactual: had he and his brothers died earlier in battle, he would not be witnessing Krishna now—wounded by arrows and distressed. The line expresses remorse and sorrow in the aftermath of the great conflict.