Shloka 16
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
सत्यमाख्याहि राजंस्त्वं यदि जीवति मे सुतः । सत्यमामर्षयन् विप्रो मयि तत् परिपृष्टवान्
satyam ākhyāhi rājan tvaṃ yadi jīvati me sutaḥ | satyam āmarṣayan vipro mayi tat paripṛṣṭavān |
尤提士提罗说道：“告诉我实情吧，国王啊——我的儿子还活着吗？”曾有一位婆罗门，为了辨明真理所要求的究竟为何，向我提出过同样的问题。每当我忆起那句话，我全身便仿佛被悲恸之火灼烧。
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of satya (truthfulness) and the inner suffering that arises when one’s past speech or decisions are recalled in the light of dharma. It frames truth not merely as factual accuracy but as an ethical demand that can haunt the conscience.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls a moment when a brāhmaṇa, seeking a clear determination of truth, questioned him about whether the brāhmaṇa’s son was alive. The memory of that question—and what it implied for Yudhiṣṭhira’s own conduct—returns as intense grief and remorse.