Shloka 2
Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)
नाहं कर्मफलान्वेषी राजपुत्रि चराम्युत । ददामि देयमित्येव यजे यष्टव्यमित्युत,राजकुमारी! मैं कर्मोके फलकी इच्छा रखकर उनका अनुष्ठान नहीं करता; अपितु “देना कर्तव्य है” यह समझकर दान देता हूँ और यज्ञको भी कर्तव्य मानकर ही उसका अनुष्ठान करता हूँ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | nāhaṃ karmaphalānveṣī rājaputri carāmy uta | dadāmi deyam ity eva yaje yaṣṭavyam ity uta ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O princess, I do not act while hunting after rewards. Rather, thinking ‘it is my duty to give,’ I give; and thinking ‘it is my duty to sacrifice,’ I perform sacrifices—out of obligation to dharma, not out of desire for gain.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches niṣkāma-karma: one should perform righteous acts—such as giving (dāna) and sacrifice (yajña)—because they are duties enjoined by dharma, not as a means to obtain personal reward (karmaphala).
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a princess and explains his ethical stance: he does not act with an eye on outcomes; he gives and performs sacrifices simply because they are to be done as part of righteous conduct.