Shloka 3

Devanagari script

कृतयत्नाफलाश्रैव दृश्यन्ते शतशो नरा: । अयत्नेनैधमानाश्र दृश्यन्ते बहवो जना:

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kṛtayatnāphalāś caiva dṛśyante śataśo narāḥ | ayatnenaiva dhanaṃ yeṣāṃ dṛśyante bahavo janāḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Se ven por centenares hombres cuyos esfuerzos no dan fruto: pese a luchar, no alcanzan lo que buscan. Y también se ve a muchos otros cuya riqueza crece día tras día aun sin esfuerzo.»

Word by Word

• कृतयत्नाफलाश्च: those whose efforts are made yet fruitless
• कृतयत्नाफलाश्च: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत-यत्न-अफल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (पश्यति)
• Form: Present, Passive, Third, Plural

• शतशः: by hundreds; in hundreds
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतशस्

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अयत्नेन: without effort; by non-effort
• अयत्नेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• एधमानाः: growing; increasing
• एधमानाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एधमान (एध् धातु, शतृ/शानच् कृदन्त प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (पश्यति)
• Form: Present, Passive, Third, Plural

• बहवः: many
• बहवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical-philosophical tension central to dharma discourse: outcomes in the world do not always correspond to visible effort. Some strive yet fail, while others prosper without striving—prompting reflection on karma, destiny (daiva), and the limits of human control.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira is voicing an observation about social reality—unequal results of effort and the seemingly effortless rise of wealth for some—typically as a prelude to questioning a teacher/elder about the principles governing justice, karma, and right conduct.