Shloka 231
Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)
आर्ष प्रमाणमुत्क्रम्य धर्म न प्रतिपालयन् । सर्वशास्त्रातिगो मूढ: शं जन्मसु न विन्दति
ārṣa-pramāṇam utkramya dharmaṁ na pratipālayan | sarva-śāstrātigo mūḍhaḥ śaṁ janmasu na vindati ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Quien traspasa la norma autorizada de los sabios videntes y no sostiene el dharma —aunque presuma de haber ido más allá de todos los śāstras— permanece extraviado y no halla verdadero bienestar a lo largo de sus nacimientos».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma should be upheld in alignment with reliable, ṛṣi-sanctioned authority (ārṣa-pramāṇa). Claiming to be ‘beyond all śāstras’ while neglecting dharma is portrayed as delusion, leading to a lack of lasting welfare (śam) even across multiple births.
Yudhiṣṭhira is articulating a moral judgment: he criticizes those who disregard the traditional standards of the seers and fail to practice dharma, warning that such arrogance or antinomianism results in spiritual and ethical ruin rather than peace or auspiciousness.