Shloka 13

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

Devanagari script

न पृथिव्या सकलया न सुवर्णस्य राशिभि: । न गवाश्वेन सर्वेण ते त्याज्या य इमे हता:

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

na pṛthivyā sakalayā na suvarṇasya rāśibhiḥ |

na gavāśvena sarveṇa te tyājyā ya ime hatāḥ |

bahukalyāṇasaṃyuktān icchanti pitaraḥ sutān |

tapasā brahmacaryeṇa satyena ca titikṣayā ||

Translation

尤提士提罗说道：“不为尽有大地，不为成堆黄金，甚至不为所有牛马，也不应弃绝那些在此被杀之人。父亲们渴求具足诸多吉祥德相的儿子，便以苦行、以梵行、以真实之言、以忍耐之力而求之。”

Word by Word

• {'yudhiṣṭhira uvāca': 'Yudhiṣṭhira said', 'na ... na ... na': 'not ... nor ... nor (emphatic negation)', 'pṛthivī': 'the earth, kingdom, land', 'sakalā': 'entire, whole', 'suvarṇa': 'gold', 'rāśi': 'heap, mass, accumulation', 'go': 'cow, cattle (wealth)', 'aśva': 'horse (power, royal wealth)', 'sarva': 'all, entire', 'tyājya': 'to be abandoned, to be given up', 'ime': 'these (here, present before us)', 'hata': 'slain, killed', 'bahu': 'many', 'kalyāṇa': 'auspiciousness, welfare, virtue', 'saṃyukta': 'endowed with, joined with', 'icchanti': 'desire, wish for', 'pitaraḥ': 'fathers, ancestors', 'suta': 'son', 'tapas': 'austerity, ascetic discipline', 'brahmacarya': 'celibate discipline

• student-like self-restraint', 'satya': 'truth, truthfulness', 'titikṣā': 'forbearance, patient endurance'}

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• earth (pṛthivī)
• gold (suvarṇa)
• cattle (go)
• horses (aśva)
• fathers/ancestors (pitaraḥ)
• sons (sutāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Material gain—kingdom, gold, or livestock—cannot justify abandoning moral responsibility toward those who have died. True worth lies in cultivating virtue: austerity, self-restraint, truthfulness, and endurance, which are also the means by which worthy offspring and lasting welfare are sought.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the aftermath of devastating conflict, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the ethical cost of violence and wealth-driven ambition. He insists that no worldly prize compensates for the dead and turns the discussion toward the disciplines that produce genuine good—inner restraint and moral conduct.