Shloka 5
बलदेव उवाच न कृष्ण धर्मश्चरितो भवाय जन्तोरधर्मश्षु पराभवाय । युधिष्छिरो यत्र जटी महात्मा वनाश्रय: क्लिश्यति चीरवासा:,बलदेवजी बोले--श्रीकृष्ण! जान पड़ता है आचरणमें लाया हुआ धर्म भी प्राणियोंके अभ्युदयका कारण नहीं होता; और उनका किया हुआ अधर्म भी पराजयकी प्राप्ति करानेवाला नहीं होता, क्योंकि महात्मा युधिष्ठिरको (जो सदा धर्मका ही पालन करते हैं) जटाधारी होकर वल्कल वस्त्र पहने वनमें रहते हुए महान् क्लेश भोगना पड़ रहा है
baladeva uvāca | na kṛṣṇa dharmaś carito bhavāya jantor adharmaś ca parābhavāya | yudhiṣṭhiro yatra jaṭī mahātmā vanāśrayaḥ kliśyati cīravāsāḥ ||
Baladeva said: “O Kṛṣṇa, it seems that dharma, even when practiced, does not necessarily bring welfare to a person, nor does adharma necessarily lead to defeat. For here is the great-souled Yudhiṣṭhira—ever devoted to righteousness—wearing matted locks and bark garments, living in the forest and yet enduring severe hardship.”
बलदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Baladeva voices a moral paradox: the visible outcomes of life do not always align with moral conduct—righteous people may suffer and wrongdoers may prosper. The verse frames an ethical inquiry into how dharma relates to worldly results, using Yudhiṣṭhira’s hardship as evidence.
Baladeva addresses Kṛṣṇa and points to Yudhiṣṭhira’s condition during the forest exile: despite being devoted to dharma, he lives as an ascetic with matted hair and bark clothing and undergoes great distress. This observation sets up discussion about justice, fate, and the fruits of action.