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 ||
尤提士提罗说道：“我将前往死亡之界，因为我做下了最艰难而又最惨痛的事——在诸场战争中，正是我促成了迦尔那的被杀；他从不曾在战斗中退却。”
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.