Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)
न फलादर्शनाद् धर्म: शड्कितव्यो न देवता: । यष्टव्यं च प्रयत्नेन दातव्यं चानसूयता,धर्मका फल तुरंत दिखायी न दे तो इसके कारण धर्म एवं देवताओंपर आशंका नहीं करनी चाहिये। दोषदृष्टि न रखते हुए यत्नपूर्वक यज्ञ और दान करते रहना चाहिये
na phalādarśanād dharmaḥ śaṅkitavyo na devatāḥ | yaṣṭavyaṃ ca prayatnena dātavyaṃ cān asūyatā ||
ユディシュティラは言った。「果がただちに見えぬからといって、ダルマを疑ってはならず、神々を疑ってもならぬ。むしろ怠らぬ努力をもって、咎め立てや怨みを離れ、祭祀を行い、施しを続けるべきである。」
युधिछिर उवाच
Do not measure dharma by immediate visible rewards. Even when results are delayed or unseen, one should persist in righteous practice—especially yajña and dāna—without envy or a habit of blaming others.
In the Vana Parva context, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a principle of steadfastness in dharma during adversity: the absence of quick results is not grounds to distrust moral order or the divine; one must continue disciplined religious and ethical action.