Shloka 5

Devanagari script

प्रयत्नं कृतवन्तो5पि दृश्यन्ते ह्फला नरा: । मार्गत्यायशतैरर्थानमार्गश्वापर: सुखी,प्रयत्न करनेवाले मनुष्य भी असफल देखे जाते हैं। कोई सैकड़ों उपाय करके धनकी खोज करता रहता है और कोई कुमार्गपर ही चलकर धनकी दृष्टिसे सुखी दिखायी देता है

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | prayatnaṃ kṛtavanto 'pi dṛśyante hy aphalā narāḥ | mārgatyāyaśatair arthān amārgaś cāparaḥ sukhī ||

Translation

യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ശ്രമിച്ചിട്ടും ഫലമില്ലാത്തവരായി മനുഷ്യർ കാണപ്പെടുന്നു. ഒരാൾ നൂറുകണക്കിന് ധാർമ്മിക മാർഗങ്ങളിലൂടെ ധനം തേടുമ്പോൾ, മറ്റൊരാൾ കുമാർഗം പിടിച്ചിട്ടും ധനബലത്തിൽ സുഖിയായി തോന്നുന്നു.

Word by Word

प्रयत्नम्effort

कृतवन्तःhaving done / having made

अपिeven/also

दृश्यन्तेare seen / are found

अफलाḥunsuccessful, fruitless

नराःmen, people

मार्गत्यागशतैःby hundreds of (means/attempts) of abandoning the right path

अर्थान्wealth, gains

अमार्गःwrong path

चand

अपरःanother (person)

सुखीhappy, prosperous

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

narāḥ (people)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Visible success is not a reliable measure of righteousness: sincere effort can still fail, while unethical means may appear to bring prosperity. The verse raises the ethical problem of judging dharma by outcomes alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira voices a doubt based on observation: despite hard work and proper means, some remain unsuccessful, whereas others gain wealth and comfort through improper paths. This sets up a discussion on dharma, fate, and the true standards for evaluating conduct.