Shloka 128
युधिछिर उवाच धर्म एव हतो हन्ति धर्मो रक्षति रक्षित: । तस्माद् धर्म न त्यजामि मा नो धर्मो हतोडवधीत्
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | dharma eva hato hanti dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ | tasmād dharma na tyajāmi mā no dharmo hato ’vadhīt ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: «إنّ الدارما إذا انتُهِكَتْ ضربتْ وانقضّتْ فدمّرتْ من انتهكها، وإذا حُفِظَتْ حفظتْ من يحفظها. لذلك لا أترك الدارما، لئلّا تُخرَّب الدارما فتعود فتُخرّبني.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is reciprocal and consequential: violating righteousness ultimately harms the violator, while safeguarding righteousness safeguards one’s own life and integrity. The verse frames dharma not as abstract theory but as a living moral order that responds to human choices.
Yudhiṣṭhira, known for unwavering commitment to righteousness, articulates why he refuses to abandon dharma even under pressure and hardship: he fears the moral and practical ruin that follows from compromising dharma, and trusts in the protective power of upheld righteousness.