Shloka 17
एवमेवेदमित्युक्त्वा धर्मात्मा स नरेश्वर: । शोकसागरमध्यस्थो दध्यौ कारणमाकुल:
evaṁ evेदam ity uktvā dharmātmā sa nareśvaraḥ | śokasāgaramadhyastho dadhyau kāraṇam ākulaḥ || dharmaputro mahābāhur vilalāpa suvistaram ||
Вайшампаяна сказал: Произнеся: «Так оно и есть — видно, так и должно быть», тот праведный царь Юдхиштхира, словно посреди океана скорби, в смятении размышлял о причине. Затем могучерукий Дхармасын (Юдхиштхира) долго стенал, поражённый горем и пытаясь найти нравственную и сокрытую причину бедствия, постигшего его братьев.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames suffering not as random but as something that invites ethical introspection: a dharmic king, even in intense grief, turns to reflection on causes—suggesting responsibility, karma, and the search for right understanding amid calamity.
After uttering a resigned acknowledgment—“So it is”—Yudhiṣṭhira is portrayed as submerged in grief. He becomes mentally unsettled and begins to contemplate why this disaster has occurred, then laments at length.