Shloka 8
असंतोषादिदोष-निरूपणम्
On the Faults of Discontent and the Discipline of Detachment
योग: क्षेमश्न राष्ट्रस्य धर्माधर्मो त्वयि स्थितौ । मुच्यस्व महतो भारात् त्यागमेवाभिसंश्रय,राष्ट्रके योग और क्षेम, धर्म तथा अधर्म सब तुममें ही स्थित हैं। तुम इस महान् भारसे मुक्त हो जाओ और त्यागका ही आश्रय लो
yogaḥ kṣemaś ca rāṣṭrasya dharmādharmau tvayi sthitau | mucyasva mahato bhārāt tyāgam evābhisaṃśraya ||
योगः क्षेमश्च राष्ट्रस्य धर्माधर्मौ त्वयि स्थितौ । मुच्यस्व महतो भारात् त्यागमेवाभिसंश्रय ॥
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames kingship as morally weighty: a ruler embodies the kingdom’s welfare and security, and his choices can uphold dharma or slide into adharma. Therefore, Yudhiṣṭhira urges release from the crushing responsibility by turning toward tyāga—renunciation understood as relinquishing possessiveness and ego-driven attachment to power.
In the Śānti Parva’s post-war setting, Yudhiṣṭhira, overwhelmed by the consequences of conflict and the demands of governance, speaks to a counterpart responsible for rule and moral order. He emphasizes that the fate of the state and its ethical direction depend on that person, and he counsels stepping away from the heavy burden through renunciatory resolve.