Shloka 36
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
कृतकृत्या: पुनर्वर्णा यदि वृत्तं न विद्यते । संकरस्त्वत्र नागेन्द्र बलवान् प्रसमीक्षित:
kṛtakṛtyāḥ punarvarṇā yadi vṛttaṃ na vidyate | saṅkarastvatra nāgendra balavān prasamīkṣitaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “If, after all has been duly accomplished, there is still no clear account of what has occurred, then here—O lord of serpents—one must carefully consider the powerful factor of confusion and intermixture (saṅkara) that can distort events and understanding.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when duties seem completed, one should not accept an unclear or missing account at face value; instead, one must investigate the causes of confusion (saṅkara) that can distort facts and judgment, and apply careful discernment.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a Nāga leader and reflects on the difficulty of establishing a clear account of events; he suggests that when the narrative is uncertain, the presence of powerful confusion or intermixture should be carefully examined.