Shloka 15
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
तन्मे दहति गात्राणि यन्मां गुरुभाषत
tan me dahati gātrāṇi yan māṃ gurur abhāṣata | tadā gurur mām apṛcchat—“rājan, satyaṃ vada, kiṃ me putro jīvati?” | sa brāhmaṇaḥ satyanirṇayārthaṃ mām etad apṛcchat | tasya vākyasya smṛtyā me sarvaṃ śarīraṃ śokāgninā dagdhaṃ bhavati ||
وہ یاد میرے اعضا کو جلا دیتی ہے—گرو کے وہ الفاظ جو اس نے مجھ سے کہے تھے: ‘اے راجن! سچ بتاؤ؛ کیا میرا بیٹا زندہ ہے؟’ اُس برہمن نے صرف سچ کے تقاضے کا فیصلہ کرنے کے لیے مجھ سے یہ پوچھا تھا۔ جب بھی اُن کے الفاظ یاد آتے ہیں، میرا سارا بدن غم کی آگ سے جھلسنے لگتا ہے۔
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical weight of satya (truthfulness) and the inner suffering that can follow when truth is tested in painful circumstances. Even when a question is posed to ascertain truth, the moral burden and emotional consequences can be intense, reminding the listener that dharma is not merely rule-following but lived responsibility.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls a moment when his guru (a brāhmaṇa teacher) asked him directly whether the guru’s son was alive. The question was meant to force a clear decision about truth. Remembering that exchange now causes Yudhiṣṭhira deep anguish, described as his body burning in the fire of grief.