Shloka 46

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

Devanagari script

अन्येषां कर्म सफलमस्माकमपि वा पुन: । विप्रकर्षेण बुध्येत कृतकर्मा यथाफलम्‌,कर्मोके कर लेनेपर अन्तमें कर्ताको जैसा फल मिलता है, उसके अनुसार ही यह जाना जा सकता है कि दूसरोंका कर्म सफल हुआ है या हमारा

Transliteration

anyeṣāṁ karma saphalam asmākam api vā punaḥ | viprakarṣeṇa budhyeta kṛtakarmā yathāphalam ||

Translation

Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Si la acción de otro ha dado fruto —o también la nuestra— solo puede comprenderse tras cierto tiempo, cuando el hecho se ha consumado y su resultado se hace evidente. Pues al que obra se le conoce al final por el fruto que le sobreviene de lo realizado».

Word by Word

अन्येषाम्of others

कर्मaction/deed

सफलम्successful/fruitful

अस्माकम्of us/our

अपिalso/even

वाor

पुनःagain/indeed

विप्रकर्षेणby distance/after a lapse (of time)

बुध्येतwould be known/understood

कृतकर्माthe doer (one who has done the act)

यथाas/according to

फलम्fruit/result

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The success or moral weight of an action is not always immediately visible; it is properly assessed over time, once the deed is complete and its consequences (karma-phala) manifest.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on how to evaluate actions—his own or others’—emphasizing that only later outcomes reveal whether a course of conduct was truly fruitful.