Shloka 4
यज्ञवाटवैभववर्णनम् / Description of the Splendour of the Sacrificial Enclosure
संचिन्तयामि कौन्तेयं रहो जिष्णुं जनार्दन । अतीव दुःखभागी स सतत पाण्डुनन्दन:,इसका क्या कारण है? बुद्धिमान् जनार्दन! जब मैं एकान्तमें बैठकर अर्जुनके बारेमें विचार करता हूँ, तब यह जानकर मेरा मन खिन्न हो जाता है कि हमलोगोंमें वे ही सदा सबसे अधिक दु:खके भागी रहे हैं। पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुन सुखसे वंचित क्यों रहते हैं? यह समझमें नहीं आता
sañcintayāmi kaunteyaṁ raho jiṣṇuṁ janārdana | atīva duḥkhabhāgī sa satataṁ pāṇḍunandanaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Ó Janārdana, quando me sento em recolhimento e reflito sobre Arjuna — filho de Kuntī, herói invencível — sou tomado por profunda aflição. Pois parece que, entre nós, ele, o filho de Pāṇḍu, tem sido continuamente o maior partícipe da dor. Por que Arjuna é tão frequentemente privado de conforto e felicidade?”
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a dharmic problem: even the most capable and righteous may bear disproportionate suffering. Yudhiṣṭhira’s question invites reflection on the interplay of destiny (daiva), past causes, and present duty—suggesting that virtue does not guarantee comfort, and that endurance and right action remain meaningful even amid recurring hardship.
In the Aśvamedhika context, after the great war, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks to Kṛṣṇa in a reflective mood. Sitting alone, he thinks of Arjuna’s life—marked by repeated trials despite heroism and devotion—and asks Kṛṣṇa to explain why Arjuna seems continually burdened with sorrow more than the others.