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 said: “O Kṛṣṇā, do not doubt this dharma. It is the ancient rule of right conduct, practiced by the cultured and taught by seers who are all-knowing and all-seeing. Therefore it deserves trust and steady adherence rather than suspicion.”

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.