Shloka 18
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
सत्यकज्चुकमुन्मुच्य मया स गुरुराहवे । अश्वत्थामा हत इति निरुक्त: कुञ्जरे हते
satyakacukam unmucya mayā sa gurur āhave | aśvatthāmā hata iti niruktaḥ kuñjare hate ||
Hinubad ko ang ‘balabal ng katotohanan’ at, sa gitna ng labanan, sinabi ko sa aking guro: “Napatay na si Aśvatthāmā”—na ang tinutukoy ko’y ang elepanteng nagngangalang Aśvatthāmā na napatay. Sa pagbigkas na iyon, inakala ng guro na ang kanyang anak ang namatay; nayanig ang kanyang paninindigang moral, at nahayag ang mabigat na halagang etikal ng pagwawagi sa pamamagitan ng salitang may dalawang saysay.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how even a technically defensible statement can violate dharma when it is intended to mislead. ‘Casting off the coat of truth’ signals a conscious departure from integrity, showing that moral responsibility lies not only in literal wording but also in intention and foreseeable impact.
In the battle context, Yudhiṣṭhira reports ‘Aśvatthāmā is slain’ after the elephant named Aśvatthāmā has been killed. The statement is framed so that Droṇa, thinking it refers to his son Aśvatthāmā, believes his son is dead—an event that undermines his resolve and affects the course of the war.