Shloka 20
ऋतुपर्णस्य विदर्भयात्रा-निश्चयः तथा बाहुकस्य हयपरिक्षा (Ṛtuparṇa’s resolve to go to Vidarbha and Bāhuka’s examination of horses)
दारकौ च हि मे नीतौ वसतस्तत्र बालकौ । पित्रा विहीनौ शोकार्तो मया चैव कथं नु तौ,“मैंने अपने बच्चोंको पहले ही कुण्डिनपुर भेज दिया था। वे वहीं रहते हैं। पितासे तो उनका वियोग हो ही गया है; मुझसे भी वे बिछुड़ गये हैं, ऐसी दशामें वे शोकार्त बालक कैसे रहते होंगे?
dārakau ca hi me nītau vasatastatra bālakau | pitrā vihīnau śokārto mayā caiva kathaṃ nu tau ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “De fato, eu já havia enviado meus dois filhos pequenos para Kuṇḍinapura; eles vivem lá. Já foram privados do pai, e agora estão separados de mim também. Nessa condição, como poderiam viver aqueles meninos, aflitos de tristeza?”
युदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of parental responsibility and compassion: even amid personal hardship, a righteous person feels acute concern for dependents, especially children suffering compounded loss and separation.
Yudhiṣṭhira laments that his two young children, already separated from their father, are now also separated from him; he worries how they can endure life while overwhelmed by grief.