Shloka 14
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 31 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Instructions to Sañjaya
Peace Appeal and Five-Village Proposal
इमं च दृष्टवा तव कर्मदोषं पापोदर्क घोरमवर्णरूपम् | यावत् पर: कामयते5तिवेलं तावन्नरोडयं लभते प्रशंसाम्
sañjaya uvāca |
imaṃ ca dṛṣṭvā tava karmadoṣaṃ pāpodarkaṃ ghoraṃ avarṇarūpam |
yāvat paraḥ kāmayate'tivelaṃ tāvannaro'yaṃ labhate praśaṃsām ||
Sañjaya dit : «Voyant aussi cette faute dans ta conduite — terrible, au-delà de toute description, et portant pour l’avenir le fruit amer du péché et de la souffrance — j’en suis venu à cette conclusion : l’ordonnance du Suprême est décisive. Tant que le Dispensateur le veut, l’homme obtient la louange, et encore pour un temps limité.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unrighteous action (karmadoṣa) inevitably ripens into painful consequences, and worldly praise is unstable—lasting only as long as Providence permits. The verse warns against relying on reputation while ignoring ethical accountability.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, pointing out the grave moral defect in his (and his side’s) course of action. He frames the situation as governed by a higher ordinance: a person’s acclaim endures only temporarily, and impending consequences will follow wrongful deeds.