Shloka 39

Devanagari script

कर्तव्यमेव कर्मेति मनोरेष विनिश्चय: । एकान्तेन हानीहो5यं पराभवति पूरुष:,किंतु मनुका यह सिद्धान्त है कि कर्म करना ही चाहिये, जो बिलकुल कर्म छोड़कर निश्वेष्ट हो बैठ रहता है, वह पुरुष पराभवको प्राप्त होता है

Transliteration

kartavyam eva karmeti manor eṣa viniścayaḥ | ekāntena hānīho 'yaṃ parābhavati pūruṣaḥ |

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “This is the settled conviction of Manu: one must indeed do what ought to be done. A man who wholly abandons action and sits idle, doing nothing, comes to ruin and defeat.”

Word by Word

कर्तव्यम्to be done; duty (that which must be done)

एवindeed; certainly; only

कर्मaction; work

इतिthus; ‘that’ (quotative)

मनॊःof Manu

एषःthis

विनिश्चयःdetermination; settled conclusion

एकान्तेनentirely; absolutely (lit. by exclusiveness)

हानिःloss; ruin

इहhere; in this world

अयम्this (person)

पराभवतिis defeated; comes to ruin

पूरुषःa man; person

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Manu

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that dharma is upheld through purposeful action: one should perform one’s obligatory duties, and total abandonment of effort (idleness) leads to decline and defeat.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Vana Parva context, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a dharma-based principle by citing Manu’s authority, emphasizing that even in hardship one must not renounce rightful action and responsibility.