Shloka 19
Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)
प्रमाणाद्धि निवृत्तो हि वेदशास्त्रार्थनिन्दक: । कामलोभातिगो मूढो नरकं प्रतिपद्यते,जो मूर्ख प्रमाणोंकी ओरसे मुँह मोड़ लेता है, वेद और शास्त्रोंके सिद्धान्तकी निन्दा करता है तथा काम एवं लोभके अत्यन्त परायण है, वह नरकमें पड़ता है
pramāṇāddhi nivṛtto hi vedaśāstrārthanindakaḥ | kāmalobhātigo mūḍho narakaṃ pratipadyate ||
Wer in Torheit den gültigen Erkenntnismitteln den Rücken kehrt, den wahren Sinn der Veden und der Śāstras schmäht und—verblendet—gänzlich von Begierde und Gier getrieben wird, der stürzt in die Hölle.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that abandoning reliable standards of knowledge (pramāṇa), ridiculing the intended meaning of the Vedas and śāstras, and living under the domination of desire and greed is a mark of delusion and leads to severe moral and karmic consequences, described here as falling into naraka.
In the Vana Parva context, Yudhiṣṭhira is articulating a dharma-centered warning: he characterizes the spiritually and ethically dangerous mindset of one who rejects authoritative guidance and becomes ruled by kāma and lobha, emphasizing the downfall that follows such conduct.