Shloka 19
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
कॉल्लोकांस्तु गमिष्यामि कृत्वा कर्म सुदुष्करम् | अघातयं च यत् कर्ण समरेष्वपलायिनम्
kāllokāṁstu gamiṣyāmi kṛtvā karma suduṣkaram | aghātayaṁ ca yat karṇa samareṣvapalāyinam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Ta sẽ đi đến những cõi của tử thần, sau khi đã làm một việc vừa khó khăn vừa thảm khốc—bởi chính ta đã khiến Karṇa, người chưa từng lùi bước khỏi chiến trận, phải bị giết trong các cuộc chiến.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability after violence: even when war is fought under kṣatriya-duty, the mind may still confront remorse for causing the death of a noble, steadfast opponent. It frames ethical reflection as inseparable from action and its consequences.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira laments the outcomes of the war. Here he confesses that he feels destined for the realms of Death because he was a cause in Karṇa’s killing—praising Karṇa’s unwavering bravery (‘one who did not flee in battle’) while expressing personal guilt.