Shloka 186
अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship
Book 14, Chapter 89
यथा55ह भगवान् व्यासस्तथा त्वं कर्तुमहसि । तब भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर्से कहा--“धर्मराज! भगवान् व्यास जैसा कहते हैं, वैसा ही तुम्हें करना चाहिये”
yathāha bhagavān vyāsas tathā tvaṃ kartum arhasi | tataḥ bhagavān śrīkṛṣṇo dharmarājaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram uvāca— “dharmarājan! bhagavān vyāsa yathā vadati, tathāiva tvayā kartavyam” |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “As the venerable Vyāsa has spoken, so you ought to act.” Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa addressed Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira: “O king devoted to dharma, you must do exactly as Bhagavān Vyāsa instructs.” The passage underscores obedience to wise counsel and the ethical priority of aligning one’s actions with dharma as clarified by an authoritative seer.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should align action with dharma by following the instruction of a trustworthy spiritual authority (here, Vyāsa), especially when the duty is ethically weighty; Kṛṣṇa reinforces that obedience to such guidance is itself a dharmic act.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira is urged to act exactly as Vyāsa has directed; Kṛṣṇa then personally reiterates this counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira, emphasizing compliance with Vyāsa’s directive.