Shloka 19

Yudhiṣṭhira’s Grief, Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation, and Vyāsa’s Admonition (युधिष्ठिरशोक-निवारणोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

मैवं भव न ते युक्तमिदमज्ञानमीदृशम्‌ । प्रायश्षित्तानि सर्वाणि विदितानि च तेडनघ । राजधर्मश्न ते सर्वे दानधर्माश्च ते श्रुता:,“तुम ऐसे न बनो, तुम्हारे लिये इस तरह अज्ञानका अवलम्बन उचित नहीं है। निष्पाप नरेश! तुम्हें सब प्रकारके प्रायश्चित्तोंका भी ज्ञान है। तुमने सब प्रकारके राजधर्म और दानधर्म भी सुने हैं

Transliteration

māivaṁ bhava na te yuktam idam ajñānam īdṛśam | prāyaścittāni sarvāṇi viditāni ca te 'n-agha | rājadharmāś ca te sarve dānadharmāś ca te śrutāḥ ||

Translation

尤提士提罗说道：“不要如此。你不该依凭这般无明。无垢之王啊，你早已知晓一切赎罪之法；也已听闻并习得诸般王法与布施之法。因此，莫要言行得仿佛不知法度一般。”

Word by Word

• {'mā': 'do not', 'evaṁ': 'thus, in this manner', 'bhava': 'be (imperative)', 'na te yuktam': 'not proper/fitting for you', 'idam': 'this', 'ajñānam': 'ignorance, lack of right understanding', 'īdṛśam': 'of this kind, such', 'prāyaścittāni': 'expiations, acts of atonement', 'sarvāṇi': 'all', 'viditāni': 'known, understood', 'ca': 'and', 'te': 'to you/your', 'anagha (an-agha)': 'sinless, blameless', 'rājadharmāḥ': 'duties of kingship, royal law/ethics', 'dānadharmāḥ': 'duties of giving/charity, ethics of donation', 'śrutāḥ': 'heard, learned (from tradition/teaching)'}

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• a sinless king (anagha) (addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should not pretend ignorance of dharma: one who knows expiation (prāyaścitta), royal duty (rājadharma), and the ethics of giving (dānadharma) must act with moral clarity and responsibility rather than despair or confusion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira rebukes and steadies the addressed king, urging him to abandon a posture of helpless ignorance and to remember his learning in expiation, governance, and charity—implying that the situation requires dharmic action, not self-doubt.