Shloka 9
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Remorse and Vyāsa’s Teaching on Impermanence (Śoka-nivāraṇa)
समेत पार्थिव क्षत्रं वाराणस्यां नदीसुतः । कन्यार्थमाह्नयद् वीरो रथेनैकेन संयुगे
sametaṃ pārthiva-kṣatraṃ vārāṇasyāṃ nadī-sutaḥ | kanyārtham āhnayad vīro rathenaikena saṃyuge ||
坚战说道：“那位河之子（毗湿摩），为诸位少女之故，在波罗奈（Vārāṇasī）向聚集的诸王与武士发起挑战——独自立于一乘战车之上。其威力与决断如此；然而，正是他，我竟使其在战争中被杀。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of war: even when battle is fought under kṣatriya codes, the slaying of a supremely virtuous and formidable elder like Bhīṣma can leave a righteous person burdened with remorse. It frames heroism and duty alongside accountability and inner moral reckoning.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls Bhīṣma’s famed exploit at Vārāṇasī—challenging the gathered kings alone on a single chariot for the sake of the princesses—and contrasts that greatness with the tragic outcome of the Kurukṣetra war, where Bhīṣma was brought down, an event Yudhiṣṭhira feels responsible for.