Shloka 37
अथ शूरो महेष्वास: पार्थेनाजी निपातित: । अहं त्वज्ञासिषं पश्चात् स्वसोदर्य द्विजोत्तम,द्विजश्रेष्ठ। तदनन्तर युद्धस्थलमें महाधनुर्धर शूरवीर कर्ण अर्जुनके हाथसे मारे गये। प्रभो! मुझे तो माता कुन्तीके ही कहनेसे बहुत पीछे यह बात मालूम हुई है कि “कर्ण हमारे ज्येष्ठ एवं सहोदर भाई थे।'” मैंने भाई की हत्या करायी है; इसलिये मेरे हृदयको तीव्र वेदना हो रही है
atha śūro maheṣvāsaḥ pārthenājau nipātitaḥ | ahaṁ tv ajñāsiṣaṁ paścāt svasodarya dvijottama ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Rồi trên chiến địa, vị anh hùng, đại cung thủ ấy đã bị Pārtha (Arjuna) đánh gục. Nhưng chỉ về sau ta mới hay biết—hỡi bậc tối thượng trong hàng ‘nhị sinh’—rằng chàng là huynh đệ ruột thịt của ta. Khi ta nghe từ mẹ Kuntī, rất lâu sau việc đã rồi, rằng ‘Karṇa là anh cả của chúng ta, cùng một mẹ sinh ra’, tim ta bị nỗi đau nhói buốt chiếm lấy, vì ta đã gây nên cái chết của chính anh em mình.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of actions done in ignorance and the painful consequences of delayed truth. Even when war-deeds align with kṣatriya duty, the revelation of kinship transforms victory into moral anguish, underscoring the Mahābhārata’s insistence that dharma is complex and emotionally costly.
After the war, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects that Karṇa—slain by Arjuna in battle—was later revealed by their mother Kuntī to be their eldest full brother. Yudhiṣṭhira laments that he effectively caused his own brother’s death and is overwhelmed by grief and remorse.