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 said: “Let there be a result here, or let there be none—whatever duty is to be done by a man, I do that, O Kṛṣṇā, to the best of my ability, with the conviction that it is my duty, even while living the householder’s life.”
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.