Shloka 6
युधिष्ठिरने कहा--पितामह! भाग्यहीन मनुष्य बलवान हो तो भी उसे धन नहीं मिलता और जो भाग्यवान् है
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—akāryam asakṛt kṛtvā dṛśyante hy arthanā narāḥ | dhanayuktāḥ svakarmasthā dṛśyante cāpare ’rthanāḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Kakek Agung, kita melihat banyak orang yang berulang kali melakukan perbuatan salah namun tetap tidak beroleh harta. Dan kita pun melihat yang lain, teguh dalam kewajiban dharmanya sendiri, memiliki kekayaan—sementara sebagian, meski demikian, tetap miskin. Maka apakah yang mengatur datangnya kemakmuran: takdir, laku perbuatan, atau sesuatu yang lain?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral problem: material outcomes (wealth/poverty) do not always visibly align with ethical behavior. It pushes the inquiry toward a deeper understanding of karma, time, and destiny, and cautions against judging righteousness solely by prosperity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma about the apparent mismatch between conduct and reward—observing that some who do wrong remain poor, while some who follow their duties are wealthy (and some still poor). He seeks an explanation of what truly governs fortune.