Shloka 13
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
।। नूनं हि पापकर्माणो धात्रा सृष्टा: सम हे नृप
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: nūnaṃ hi pāpakarmāṇo dhātrā sṛṣṭāḥ sma he nṛpa, nareśvara! niścayaṃ hi vidhātāsmān pāpīn eva racitavān. rājan! yadi tvaṃ mama priyaṃ kartum icchasi, tarhi mām evaṃ upadiśa, yena paraloke 'pi me 'smāt pāpāt vimokṣo bhavet.
హే నృపా, హే నరేశ్వరా! విధాత మనలను పాపకర్మలకే సృష్టించినట్లు నిశ్చయం. రాజా, మీరు నాకు ప్రియమై ఉండదలచితే, పరలోకంలో కూడా ఈ పాపం నుండి నాకు విముక్తి కలిగేలా ఉపదేశించండి.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Yudhiṣṭhira’s moral anguish and his desire for guidance: he seeks an instruction that can free him from the burden of sin not only in this life but also in the afterlife, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s concern with expiation, responsibility, and dharma.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a kingly authority figure and confesses a sense of being bound to sinful action, even attributing it to the Creator’s ordinance; he then requests a specific upadeśa—practical and salvific counsel—so that he may obtain release from sin, including in the next world.