Shloka 14
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament for Karṇa and Renunciation-Oriented Self-Assessment (शोक-प्रलापः / त्याग-प्रवृत्तिः)
उपवासैस्तथेज्याभिव्रतकौतुकमड़लै: । लभन्ते मातरो गर्भान् मासान् दश च बिशभ्रति
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | upavāsais tathejābhir vratakautukamaṅgalaiḥ | labhante mātaro garbhān māsān daśa ca bibhrati | iha cāmutra caiveti kṛpaṇāḥ phalahetavaḥ |
尤提士提罗说道：“母亲们以斋戒、祭祀、誓愿、吉祥仪式与庆典之行，求得受胎；并在十月之间怀抱扶养其胎。她们想着：‘此世亦然，来世亦然’，那些可怜的妇人皆以求果报之心而行——盼望孩子平安降生，得以存活，渐长强健，具足善德，便能在今世与后世赐予她们安乐。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how even intimate, nurturing acts (pregnancy and child-rearing) are often intertwined with expectation of ‘fruit’—benefit in this world and the next—thus pointing to the ethical tension between selfless care and result-driven motivation (phala-āśā).
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on mothers performing religious disciplines—fasts, sacrifices, vows, and auspicious rites—to obtain and protect a child, then bearing the pregnancy for ten months, motivated by the hope that a virtuous, strong child will secure happiness for them both here and hereafter.