Shloka 21
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
प्रावेशयमहं लुब्धो वाहिनी द्रोणपालिताम् | तदाप्रभृति बीभत्सुं न शकनोमि निरीक्षितुम्
prāveśayam ahaṃ lubdho vāhinīṃ droṇapālitām | tadāprabhṛti bībhatsuṃ na śaknomi nirīkṣitum ||
Cegado pela cobiça, fui eu quem lançou à batalha o exército—protegido e comandado por Droṇa—. Desde então, não consigo mais encarar Bībhatsu (Arjuna), esmagado pela vergonha e pelo remorso diante da cadeia de violência que minha escolha ajudou a pôr em movimento.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A leader’s lapse into greed can set vast harm in motion; ethical failure is not merely personal but collective in consequence. Yudhiṣṭhira’s inability to face Arjuna underscores how adharma produces enduring inner punishment—shame, moral injury, and the loss of self-respect.
Yudhiṣṭhira confesses that, driven by greed, he caused the army under Droṇa’s protection/command to be drawn into the conflict. He then admits that ever since that act he cannot bear to look at Arjuna (Bībhatsu), indicating deep remorse and a sense of culpability for the ensuing devastation.