Shloka 31
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)
को हि बन्धु: कुलीन: संस्तथा ब्रूयात् सुहृज्जने । यथासाववददू वाक्यं युयुत्सु: कृष्णसंनिधौ
ko hi bandhuḥ kulīnaḥ saṃstathā brūyāt suhṛjjane | yathāsāv avadad vākyam yuyutsuḥ kṛṣṇasaṃnidhau ||
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Sinong kapatid o kamag-anak, kahit isinilang sa marangal na angkan, ang makapagsasabi ng gayong mga salita sa sarili niyang mga minamahal na kaibigan? Sapagkat si Yuyutsu, sa mismong harap ni Kṛṣṇa, ay nagsalita rin nang gayon—mga salitang hinila ng pagnanais sa digmaan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Nobility is measured by conduct, especially restrained and truthful speech toward one’s own well-wishers; kinship and good birth do not justify harsh, divisive, or war-inciting words.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects critically on a provocative statement made in Kṛṣṇa’s presence, questioning how any well-born relative could speak so against friends—highlighting the moral tension around counsel, loyalty, and the impulse toward war.