Shloka 3
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)
युधिछिर उवाच यद्,ैक्ष्यमाचरिष्याम वृष्ण्यन्धकपुरे वयम् । ज्ञातीन् निष्पुरुषान् कृत्वा नेमां प्राप्स्याम दुर्गतिम्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: yad aikṣyam ācarīṣyāma Vṛṣṇy-Andhaka-pure vayam | jñātīn niṣpuruṣān kṛtvā nemāṁ prāpsyāma durgatim ||
یُدھِشٹھِر نے کہا—وِرِشنیوں اور اَندھکوں کے شہر میں ہم کون سا طریقہ اختیار کریں؟ اگر ہم اپنے ہی قرابت داروں کو مردوں سے خالی—محافظوں سے محروم—کر دیں تو کیا ہم اس ہولناک زوال میں مبتلا نہ ہوں گے؟
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical accountability: even when action seems politically necessary, harming one’s own kin and leaving families unprotected can generate grave moral and karmic consequences. Yudhiṣṭhira frames policy as a dharma-question—measuring outcomes not only by victory but by the righteousness and human cost of the means.
Yudhiṣṭhira voices doubt and seeks guidance about what they should do in the Vṛṣṇi-Andhaka domain. He worries that if their actions result in the destruction of their relatives’ male protectors and warriors, they may bring about a disastrous fate for themselves.