Shloka 3

Dharma-śaṅkā-nivāraṇa: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Response on Karma-Phala and Trust in Dharma

Devanagari script

कर्म खल्विह कर्तव्यं जानतामित्रकर्शन । अकर्माणो हि जीवन्ति स्थावरा नेतरे जना:,शत्रुनाशन! ज्ञानी पुरुषको भी इस संसारमें कर्म अवश्य करना चाहिये। पर्वत और वृक्ष आदि स्थावर भूत ही बिना कर्म किये जी सकते हैं, दूसरे लोग नहीं

Transliteration

karma khalv iha kartavyaṁ jānātām itrakarśana | akarmāṇo hi jīvanti sthāvarā na itare janāḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «En verdad, en este mundo la acción debe ser realizada por quienes conocen lo justo, oh domador de enemigos. Pues sólo los seres inmóviles—como montañas y árboles—pueden vivir sin actuar; los demás no».

Word by Word

कर्मaction, duty

खलुindeed, surely

इहhere, in this world

कर्तव्यम्to be done, obligatory

जानताम्of the knowing (wise)

मित्रकर्शनO afflicter of foes (lit. friend-destroyer/foe-harasser, epithet)

अकर्माणःinactive, without action

हिfor, indeed

जीवन्तिlive

स्थावराःimmobile beings (plants, mountains, etc.)

नnot

इतरेothers

जनाःpeople

शत्रुनाशनO destroyer of enemies

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

enemies (as a general category)

sthāvara beings (mountains, trees)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

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 purposeful action (karma) is obligatory for human beings—especially the wise and responsible—because human life and social order cannot be sustained through inaction; only immobile beings can ‘live’ without deliberate activity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira addresses another character with an epithet meaning ‘subduer of enemies’ and argues for the necessity of performing one’s duties, contrasting human life with immobile entities like trees and mountains that exist without intentional action.