Shloka 18
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Grief, Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation, and Vyāsa’s Admonition (युधिष्ठिरशोक-निवारणोपदेशः)
(यथा वै कामजां मायां परित्यक्तुं त्वमहसि । तथा तु कुर्वन् नृपतिननिबन्धेन युज्यते ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
yathā vai kāmajāṃ māyāṃ parityaktuṃ tvam arhasi |
tathā tu kurvan nṛpatir anibandhena yujyate ||
asakṛc cāpi saṃdehāś chinnās te kāmajā mayā |
aśraddadhāno durmedhā luptasmṛtir asi dhruvam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Assim como deves abandonar a ilusão que nasce do desejo, do mesmo modo um rei que age assim—renunciando ao engano nascido da cobiça—não cai em cativeiro. Repetidas vezes cortei tuas dúvidas que brotam do anseio; mas, sem fé e de entendimento confuso, não o aceitas. Certamente por isso tua memória e teu discernimento se obscureceram.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire generates delusion and doubt; a ruler who renounces this desire-born illusion and acts with detachment avoids bondage. Ethical governance depends on inner self-mastery rather than mere external power.
Yudhiṣṭhira admonishes his interlocutor, urging the abandonment of desire-born delusion. He says he has repeatedly resolved the other’s doubts, but the listener’s lack of faith and confused intellect prevents acceptance, leading to impaired remembrance and judgment.