Shloka 12
Dharma-śaṅkā-nivāraṇa: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Response on Karma-Phala and Trust in Dharma
अपि चाप्यफल कर्म पश्याम: कुर्वतो जनान् | नान्यथा हाूपि गच्छन्ति वृत्ति लोका: कथंचन,हम देखती हैं कि लोग व्यर्थ कर्ममें भी लगे रहते हैं, कर्म न करनेपर तो लोगोंकी किसी प्रकार जीविका ही नहीं चल सकती
api cāpyaphala-karma paśyāmaḥ kurvato janān | nānyathā hāpi gacchanti vṛttiṃ lokāḥ kathaṃcana ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dijo: «Y en verdad vemos a la gente entregada incluso a acciones que no muestran fruto visible. Pues de ningún otro modo, en circunstancia alguna, pueden los hombres sostener su sustento.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human life depends on action: even when work seems unproductive, people must act to sustain livelihood; complete inaction is not a viable basis for living.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on ordinary human conduct, observing that people continue to work even without clear results because livelihood and social functioning cannot be maintained through inaction.