Shloka 1
Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)
अत-४-णका+ त्रयस्त्रिंशो5 ध्याय: व्यासजीका युधिष्ठिरको समझाते हुए कालकी प्रबलता बताकर देवासुरसंग्रामके उदाहरणसे धर्मद्रोहियोंके दमनका ओऔचित्य सिद्ध करना और प्रायश्रित्त करनेकी आवश्यकता बनाना युधिछिर उवाच हताः पुत्राश्न पौत्राश्न भ्रातर: पितरस्तथा । श्वशुरा गुरवश्चैव मातुलाश्न पितामहा:,युधिष्ठिर बोले--पितामह! अकेले मैंने ही राज्यके लोभमें आकर पुत्र, पौत्र, भाई, चाचा, ताऊ, श्वशुर, गुरु, मामा, बाबा, भानजे, सगे-सम्बन्धी, सुहृद, मित्र तथा भाई-बन्धु आदि नाना देशोंसे आये हुए बहुसंख्यक क्षत्रियनरेशोंको मरवा डाला
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: hatāḥ putrāś ca pautrāś ca bhrātaraḥ pitaras tathā | śvaśurā guravaś caiva mātulāś ca pitāmahāḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Avô, filhos e netos foram mortos; irmãos e pais também. Sogros, mestres veneráveis, tios maternos e avôs — tantos dos meus caíram. Movido pela cobiça da soberania, tornei-me a causa da destruição de incontáveis reis kṣatriya e parentes que se haviam reunido de muitas terras. Nisso vejo um grave fardo moral e uma mancha sobre o dharma.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of violence even when undertaken within a kṣatriya context: Yudhiṣṭhira recognizes the vast kin-slaying and frames it as a moral burden, preparing the ground for instruction on dharma, restraint, and the need for expiation (prāyaścitta).
In Śānti Parva, after the Kurukṣetra war, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses his ‘Grandfather’ (Bhīṣma) and laments the deaths of close relatives and elders, attributing the catastrophe to his own desire for kingship and seeking guidance on what is righteous to do next.