Shloka 21
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
प्रावेशयमहं लुब्धो वाहिनी द्रोणपालिताम् | तदाप्रभृति बीभत्सुं न शकनोमि निरीक्षितुम्
prāveśayam ahaṃ lubdho vāhinīṃ droṇapālitām | tadāprabhṛti bībhatsuṃ na śaknomi nirīkṣitum ||
Nabulag ng kasakiman, ako ang nagpasok sa hukbo—na pinangangalagaan at pinamumunuan ni Droṇa—sa digmaan. Mula noon, hindi ko na magawang tumingin kay Bībhatsu (Arjuna), sapagkat nilalamon ako ng hiya at pagsisisi sa sunod-sunod na karahasang pinasimulan ng aking pasiya.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A leader’s lapse into greed can set vast harm in motion; ethical failure is not merely personal but collective in consequence. Yudhiṣṭhira’s inability to face Arjuna underscores how adharma produces enduring inner punishment—shame, moral injury, and the loss of self-respect.
Yudhiṣṭhira confesses that, driven by greed, he caused the army under Droṇa’s protection/command to be drawn into the conflict. He then admits that ever since that act he cannot bear to look at Arjuna (Bībhatsu), indicating deep remorse and a sense of culpability for the ensuing devastation.