Shloka 31

Dharma-śaṅkā-nivāraṇa: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Response on Karma-Phala and Trust in Dharma

Devanagari script

कर्तृत्वादेव पुरुष: कर्मसिद्धौ प्रशस्यते । असिद्धौ निन्द्यते चापि कर्मनाशात्‌ कथं त्विह,कर्ता होनेके कारण ही कार्यकी सिद्धिमें पुरुषकी प्रशंसा की जाती है और जब कार्यकी सिद्धि नहीं होती, तब उसकी निन्दा की जाती है। यदि कर्मका सर्वथा नाश ही हो जाय, तो यहाँ कार्यकी सिद्धि ही कैसे हो

Transliteration

kartṛtvād eva puruṣaḥ karmasiddhau praśasyate | asiddhau nindyate cāpi karmanāśāt kathaṃ tv iha ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: It is precisely because a man is regarded as an agent that he is praised when an undertaking succeeds; and when it fails, he is blamed as well. But if action itself were to be utterly annulled, how could there be any accomplishment here at all?

Word by Word

• {'kartṛtvāt': 'because of agency

• from being a doer (instrumental/ablative sense)', 'eva': 'indeed

• precisely', 'puruṣaḥ': 'a person

• man', 'karma-siddhau': 'in the success/accomplishment of an action or undertaking (locative)', 'praśasyate': 'is praised

• is commended', 'asiddhau': 'in non-accomplishment

• in failure (locative)', 'nindyate': 'is blamed

• is censured', 'ca api': 'and also

• moreover', 'karma-nāśāt': 'from the destruction/negation of action', 'katham': 'how?', 'tu': 'but

• however', 'iha': 'here

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• puruṣa (the agent/person)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse argues for moral agency: society’s praise and blame presuppose that a person is a doer. If action (karma) were meaningless or entirely negated, the very idea of success or failure—and thus ethical evaluation—would collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira is reasoning in a reflective discussion about karma and responsibility, challenging any view that would deny effective action or human agency by pointing out that everyday judgments of merit and fault depend on accepting doership.