Shloka 101
यक्ष उवाच धर्मश्चार्थक्ष॒ कामश्ष॒ परस्परविरोधिन: । एषां नित्यविरुद्धानां कथमेकत्र संगम:,यक्षने पूछा--धर्म, अर्थ और काम--ये सब परस्पर विरोधी हैं। इन नित्य-विरुद्ध पुरुषार्थोका एक स्थानपर कैसे संयोग हो सकता है?
yakṣa uvāca | dharmaś cārthaś ca kāmaś ca paraspara-virodhinaḥ | eṣāṁ nitya-viruddhānāṁ katham ekatra saṅgamaḥ ||
Le Yaksha demanda : «Dharma, artha et kāma s’opposent les uns aux autres. Puisque ces buts humains sont sans cesse en tension, comment pourraient-ils se rejoindre en une seule voie de vie ?»
यक्ष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a classic ethical problem: the three aims—dharma (right), artha (advantage), and kāma (desire)—often pull a person in different directions. The teaching implied by the question is that wise living requires discernment and prioritization, typically subordinating artha and kāma to dharma so that pursuit of prosperity and pleasure does not violate moral order.
In the Yaksha–Prashna episode of the Vana Parva, the Yaksha tests Yudhiṣṭhira through probing questions. Here the Yaksha challenges him to explain how seemingly conflicting life-goals can be reconciled in practice.