Shloka 37

Dharma-śaṅkā-nivāraṇa: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Response on Karma-Phala and Trust in Dharma

Devanagari script

य॑ यमर्थमभिप्रेप्सु: कुरुते कर्म पूरुष: । तत्तत्‌ सफलमेव स्याद्‌ यदि न स्यात्‌ पुरा कृतम्‌,यदि पूर्वकृत प्रारब्धकर्म प्रभाव डालनेवाला न होता तो मनुष्य जिस-जिस प्रयोजनके अभिप्रायसे कर्म करता, वह सब सफल ही हो जाता

Transliteration

yaṃ yam artham abhiprepsuḥ kurute karma pūruṣaḥ | tat tat saphalam eva syād yadi na syāt purā kṛtam ||

Translation

ಹಿಂದೆ ಮಾಡಿದ ಪ್ರಾರಬ್ಧಕರ್ಮದ ಪ್ರಭಾವ ಮೊದಲೇ ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ, ಮನುಷ್ಯನು ಯಾವ ಯಾವ ಉದ್ದೇಶಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಕರ್ಮ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾನೋ, ಆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಗಳೂ ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾಗಿ ಫಲಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದವು. ಆದರೆ ಪೂರ್ವಕರ್ಮದ ಪ್ರಭಾವ ಇರುವುದರಿಂದ ಮಾನವ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಸದಾ ಇಚ್ಛಿತ ಫಲವನ್ನು ತಲುಪುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.

Word by Word

यम्which/what (object)

अर्थम्purpose, aim

अभिप्रेप्सुःdesiring to obtain

कुरुतेdoes, performs

कर्मaction, deed

पूरुषःa man, person

तत्that

तत्that (each such)

सफलम्successful, fruitful

एवindeed, surely

स्यात्would be

यदिif

नnot

स्यात्would be

पुराformerly, earlier

कृतम्done, performed

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the tension between human effort and the determining power of prior deeds: if past karma did not condition outcomes, every intended action would succeed; since past actions bear fruit, results may diverge from one’s plans.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on why people do not always obtain the results they strive for, attributing the mismatch between intention and outcome to the influence of previously performed deeds.