Shloka 3
Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)
अस्तु वात्र फल॑ मा वा कर्तव्यं पुरुषेण यत् । गृहे वा वसता कृष्णे यथाशक्ति करोमि तत्,कृष्णे! यहाँ उस कर्मका फल हो या न हो, गृहस्थ-आश्रममें रहनेवाले पुरुषका जो कर्तव्य है, मैं उसीका यथाशक्ति कर्तव्यबुद्धिसे पालन करता हूँ
astu vātra phalaṁ mā vā kartavyaṁ puruṣeṇa yat | gṛhe vā vasatā kṛṣṇe yathāśakti karomi tat, kṛṣṇe ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „O Kṛṣṇā, mag es eine Frucht geben oder nicht—welche Pflicht auch immer einem Mann obliegt, der im Hausstand lebt, die erfülle ich nach Kräften, in der Gewissheit, dass es Pflicht ist.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should perform one’s prescribed duty with a sense of obligation and integrity, without making the performance dependent on whether a desirable result will follow—doing what is right ‘as best as one can’ is itself the ethical standard.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Draupadī (called Kṛṣṇā), explaining his stance on conduct: even amid hardship, he adheres to the duties appropriate to his station and life-stage, emphasizing duty over outcome.