Shloka 23

Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)

Devanagari script

शिष्टैराचरितं धर्म कृष्णे मा स्माभिशड्किथा: । पुराणमृषिश्रि: प्रोक्त सर्वज्ञै: सर्वदर्शिभि:,कृष्णे! सर्वज्ञ और सर्वद्रष्टा महर्षियोंद्वारा प्रतिपादित तथा शिष्ट पुरुषोंद्वारा आचरित पुरातन धर्मपर शंका नहीं करनी चाहिये

Transliteration

śiṣṭair ācaritaṁ dharmaṁ kṛṣṇe mā smābhiśaṅkithāḥ | purāṇam ṛṣibhiḥ proktaṁ sarvajñaiḥ sarvadarśibhiḥ ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „O Kṛṣṇā, zweifle nicht an diesem Dharma. Es ist die uralte Ordnung rechten Handelns, geübt von den Gebildeten und gelehrt von ṛṣis, die allwissend und allsehend sind. Darum verdient es Vertrauen und standhafte Befolgung, nicht Argwohn.“

Word by Word

शिष्टैःby the cultured/learned (people)

आचरितम्practised/observed

धर्मःdharma, righteous duty

कृष्णेO Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī)

माdo not

स्मindeed (prohibitive particle with मा)

अभिशङ्किथाःyou should doubt/suspect

पुराणम्ancient, old

ऋषिभिःby sages

प्रोक्तःdeclared/taught

सर्वज्ञैःby the all-knowing

सर्वदर्शिभिःby the all-seeing

कृष्णेO Kṛṣṇā

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī)

Ṛ

Ṛṣis (sages)

Śiṣṭa (the cultured/exemplary people)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma should be trusted when it is validated by śiṣṭācāra (the conduct of exemplary people) and by the testimony of far-seeing sages; one should not undermine such time-tested moral order through suspicion.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the forest-exile context, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Draupadī (called Kṛṣṇā), urging her not to doubt the established dharma, emphasizing that it is ancient and affirmed by sages and practiced by the righteous.