Shloka 37
Kṣānti–Tejas Viveka: Prahlāda’s Instruction to Bali
Draupadī’s Application
क्षमा ब्रह्म क्षमा सत्यं क्षमा भूतं च भावि च । क्षमा तप: क्षमा शौचं क्षमयेदं धृतं जगत्,क्षमा ब्रह्म है, क्षमा सत्य है, क्षमा भूत है, क्षमा भविष्य है, क्षमा तप है और क्षमा शौच है। क्षमाने ही सम्पूर्ण जगत्को धारण कर रखा है
kṣamā brahma kṣamā satyaṁ kṣamā bhūtaṁ ca bhāvi ca | kṣamā tapaḥ kṣamā śaucaṁ kṣamayedaṁ dhṛtaṁ jagat ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Forbearance is Brahman; forbearance is truth. Forbearance is what has been and what is yet to be. Forbearance is austerity; forbearance is purity. It is by forbearance that this entire world is upheld.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates kṣamā (forbearance/forgiveness) as a foundational dharmic virtue: it is equated with Brahman and truth, and presented as the sustaining force behind moral order and social stability. By identifying kṣamā with tapas and śauca, it frames patience not as weakness but as disciplined strength and inner purity.
In the Vana Parva’s ethical discourse, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a principle of conduct suited to hardship and conflict: even amid provocation and suffering, the righteous person upholds the world through restraint and forgiveness. The statement functions as counsel on dharma during the Pandavas’ forest life and trials.