Shloka 38

Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)

Devanagari script

त्यागवांश्व पुनः पापं नालंकर्तुमिति श्रुति: । त्यागवाञ्जन्ममरणे नाप्रोतीति श्रुतिर्यदा

Transliteration

tyāgavāṃś ca punaḥ pāpaṃ nālaṅkartum iti śrutiḥ | tyāgavāñ janma-maraṇe nāprāpnotīti śrutir yadā ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Thánh điển (Śruti) tuyên rằng người đã xả ly thì không thể lại lấy tội lỗi làm ‘đồ trang sức’—không thể cố ý chọn nó làm nếp sống. Vậy khi chính thánh điển ấy lại nói rằng người xả ly không rơi vào vòng sinh tử, thì phải hiểu hai lời dạy ấy cùng nhau như thế nào?”

Word by Word

त्यागवान्one who has renunciation; the renouncer

चand

पुनःagain; further

पापम्sin; evil

नnot

अलङ्कर्तुम्to adorn; to take on; to assume

इतिthus (quotative)

श्रुतिःscriptural statement; tradition; śruti

त्यागवान्the renouncer

जन्ममरणेin birth and death

नnot

आप्नोतिattains; reaches; obtains

इतिthus

श्रुतिःśruti; scriptural statement

यदाwhen

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Renunciation is presented as ethically transformative: a true renouncer should not deliberately return to sinful conduct, and renunciation is linked—per śruti—to freedom from the bondage of repeated birth and death. The verse frames a doctrinal question about how these scriptural claims cohere.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse setting, Yudhiṣṭhira raises a pointed inquiry about scriptural authority: he cites śruti statements on the renouncer’s relation to sin and to saṃsāra, seeking clarification on their precise meaning and implications.