Mahabharata 3.31.14 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 31, Shloka 14
Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)
एते हि धर्ममेवादौ वर्णयन्ति सदानघे । कर्तव्यममरप्रख्या: प्रत्यक्षागमबुद्धय:
ete hi dharmam evādau varṇayanti sadānaghe | kartavyam amaraprakhyāḥ pratyakṣāgamabuddhayaḥ ||
യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അനഘേ! ഈ മഹർഷിമാർ എപ്പോഴും ആദ്യം ധർമ്മത്തെ തന്നെയാണ് വിവരിക്കുന്നത്. അമരന്മാരെപ്പോലെ പ്രസിദ്ധരും, പ്രത്യക്ഷവും ആഗമവും—ഇരുവരിലും അധിഷ്ഠിതമായ ബുദ്ധിയുള്ളവരുമായ അവർ, ആചരണത്തിൽ ആദ്യം സ്ഥാപിക്കേണ്ടത് ധർമ്മമെന്നു പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കുന്നു.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma must be placed first in conduct. The verse emphasizes that the highest authorities—sages with both experiential insight (pratyakṣa) and scriptural grounding (āgama)—prioritize dharma as the foremost guide for action.
Yudhiṣṭhira is responding within a discussion on right conduct, appealing to the testimony of revered sages. He underscores that those considered godlike in wisdom and reputation consistently begin their instruction with dharma and recommend it as the first principle to be enacted.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.