Shloka 346
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)
राजा राष्ट्रेश्वरं कृत्वा धृतराष्ट्रोड्द्य शोचति । हमलोग अवध्य नरेशोंका वध करके संसारमें निन्दाके पात्र हो गये। राजा धृतराष्ट्र इस कुलका विनाश करनेवाले दुर्बुद्धि एवं पापात्मा दुर्योधनको इस राष्ट्रका स्वामी बनाकर आज शोककी आगमें जल रहे हैं
rājā rāṣṭreśvaraṁ kṛtvā dhṛtarāṣṭro ’dya śocati | vayam avadhya-nareśānāṁ vadhaṁ kṛtvā saṁsāre nindā-pātrāṇi jātāḥ | rājā dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ asya kulasya vināśa-kāriṇaṁ durbuddhiṁ pāpātmānaṁ duryodhanaṁ rāṣṭrasya svāminaṁ kṛtvā adya śoka-agnau dahyate ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Nang gawin niyang panginoon ng kaharian si Duryodhana, ngayo’y nagdadalamhati si Haring Dhṛtarāṣṭra. At tayo man—sa pagpatay sa mga haring hindi dapat pinaslang—ay naging paksa ng paninisi sa daigdig. Si Dhṛtarāṣṭra, matapos italaga bilang pinuno ng bansang ito ang masamang-isip at makasalanang si Duryodhana—ang mismong sanhi ng pagkapuksa ng kanyang angkan—ay ngayo’y nilalamon ng apoy ng dalamhati.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power entrusted to an unrighteous heir brings ruin to the family and suffering to the ruler; moreover, even a ‘victorious’ side can incur moral blame when violence crosses dharmic limits—hence Yudhiṣṭhira’s emphasis on responsibility, restraint, and the ethical cost of war.
In Śānti Parva, after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the catastrophe: Dhṛtarāṣṭra is tormented because he made Duryodhana sovereign, and Yudhiṣṭhira confesses that their killing of many kings has made them targets of public censure, intensifying the postwar moral crisis.