FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.47

आह राजा धर्मसुतश्चिन्तयन् सुहृदां वधम् । प्राकृतेनात्मना विप्रा: स्‍नेहमोहवशं गत: ॥ ४७ ॥
āha rājā dharma-sutaś
[aaha raajaa dharma-sutash]
cintayan suhṛdāṁ vadham
[chintayan suhridaam vadham]
prākṛtenātmanā viprāḥ
[praakritenaatmanaa vipraah]
sneha-moha-vaśaṁ gataḥ
[sneha-moha-vasham gatah]
āha — said rājā — King Yudhiṣṭhira dharma-sutaḥ — the son of Dharma (Yamarāja) cintayan — thinking of suhṛdām — of the friends vadham — killing prākṛtena — by material conception only ātmanā — by the self viprāḥ — O brāhmaṇa sneha — affection moha — delusion vaśam — being carried away by gataḥ — having gone.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
āha rājā dharma-sutaś
āha
said
rājā
King Yudhiṣṭhira
dharma-sutaḥ
the son of Dharma (Yamarāja)
cintayan suhṛdāṁ vadham
cintayan
thinking of
suhṛdām
of the friends
vadham
killing
prākṛtenātmanā viprāḥ
prākṛtena
by material conception only
ātmanā
by the self
viprāḥ
O brāhmaṇa
sneha-moha-vaśaṁ gataḥ
sneha
affection
moha
delusion
vaśam
being carried away by
gataḥ
having gone.
King Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Dharma, overwhelmed by the death of his friends, was aggrieved just like a common, materialistic man. O sages, thus deluded by affection, he began to speak.

King Yudhiṣṭhira, though he was not expected to become aggrieved like a common man, became deluded by worldly affection by the will of the Lord (just as Arjuna was apparently deluded). A man who sees knows well that the living entity is neither the body nor the mind, but is transcendental to the material conception of life. The common man thinks of violence and nonviolence in terms of the body, but that is a kind of delusion. Everyone is duty-bound according to one’s occupational duties. A kṣatriya is bound to fight for the right cause, regardless of the opposite party. In such discharge of duty, one should not be disturbed by annihilation of the material body, which is only an external dress of the living soul. All this was perfectly known to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, but by the will of the Lord he became just like a common man because there was another great idea behind this delusion: the King would be instructed by Bhīṣma as Arjuna was instructed by the Lord Himself.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O brāhmaṇas! Yudhiṣṭhira, thinking of the killing of his friends, overcome with bewilderment arising from affection, due to material thinking, then spoke.
Commentary

This verse describes Yudhiṣṭhira’s loss of discrimination. Though his self was actually spiritual, he thought of himself materially (prākṛtena ātmanā). But this was only a temporary imposition, by the Lord’s desire, so that the Lord’s plan could be carried out.

King Yudhiṣṭhira, deluded by affection, began to speak like a common materialistic man. Even great souls sometimes process loss like ordinary people. There is no shame in it; only in not eventually rising.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I currently processing pain in 'ordinary' ways and is that OK for now?
  • What signals will tell me when to stand back up?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 8