Shloka 1
Adhyāya 42 (Śānti Parva): Śrāddha, Aurdhvadaihika Rites, and Royal Welfare Measures
ऑपन-आक्राा बछ। अर: द्विचत्वारिशोड ध्याय: राजा युधिष्ठिर तथा धृतराष्ट्रका शेख मारे गये सगे- सम्बन्धियों तथा अन्य राजाओंके श्राद्धकर्म करना वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो युधिष्छिरो राजा ज्ञातीनां ये हता युधि । श्राद्धानि कारयामास तेषां पृथगुदारधी:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājā jñātīnāṁ ye hatā yudhi | śrāddhāni kārayāmāsa teṣāṁ pṛthag udāradhīḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Depois disso, o rei Yudhiṣṭhira, magnânimo e zeloso do dharma, mandou realizar separadamente os ritos de śrāddha para cada um de seus parentes que haviam sido mortos na guerra—um ato de dharma que honra os mortos, reconhece o peso moral da perda e busca restaurar a ordem após a devastação do conflito.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even after a righteous victory, a king must uphold dharma by honoring the dead and taking responsibility for the human cost of war; performing śrāddha is both a ritual obligation and an ethical act of remembrance and restoration.
After the war, Yudhiṣṭhira arranges individual śrāddha ceremonies for the relatives who were killed in battle, marking the transition from warfare to mourning, reconciliation, and the re-establishment of social and moral order.