Shloka 9
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 2 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry for His Kin and the Vision of a Punitive Realm
तमहं यत्र तत्रस्थं द्रष्टमिच्छामि सूर्यजम् । अविज्ञातो मया योडसौ घातित: सव्यसाचिना
tam ahaṁ yatra tatra-sthaṁ draṣṭum icchāmi sūryajam | avijñāto mayā yo ’sau ghātitaḥ savyasācinā ||
Disse Yudhiṣṭhira: “Onde quer que ele esteja, desejo contemplar aquele filho do Sol. Por não o ter reconhecido, fiz com que Arjuna o matasse.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability beyond battlefield victory: ignorance and misrecognition can still carry ethical weight. Yudhiṣṭhira accepts responsibility for Karṇa’s death, expressing remorse and a desire for reconciliation through seeing him.
In Svargārohaṇa (the ascent to heaven), Yudhiṣṭhira speaks about Karṇa—identified as the Sun’s son—and says he wishes to see him wherever he is, admitting that because he did not recognize him, he had Arjuna kill him in the war.