Shloka 42
अध्याय ३३ — कर्म, दैव, हठ, स्वभाव और पुरुषार्थ पर द्रौपदी का उपदेश
Draupadī on Action, Fate, and Human Effort
धर्म चार्थ च काम॑ च यथावद् वदतां वर । विभज्य काले कालज्ञ: सर्वान् सेवेत पण्डित:,“वक्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ! उचित कालका ज्ञान रखनेवाला विद्दान् पुरुष धर्म, अर्थ और काम तीनोंका यथावत् विभाग करके उपयुक्त समयपर उन सबका सेवन करे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | dharmaṃ cārthaṃ ca kāmaṃ ca yathāvad vadatāṃ vara | vibhajya kāle kālajñaḥ sarvān seveta paṇḍitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O best among speakers, a wise man—one who understands the right time—should properly distinguish dharma, artha, and kāma, and pursue each of them at the appropriate time.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human aims—dharma (duty), artha (welfare/means), and kāma (pleasure)—are not to be pursued blindly or all at once; a discerning person separates them and follows each in a timely, appropriate way so that none violates dharma or undermines long-term good.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, conveys a general ethical maxim within the Vana Parva context: guidance on balanced living and prudent conduct, emphasizing discernment and timing rather than impulsive pursuit of any single goal.