Mahabharata 3.33.56 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 33, Shloka 56
अध्याय ३३ — कर्म, दैव, हठ, स्वभाव और पुरुषार्थ पर द्रौपदी का उपदेश
Draupadī on Action, Fate, and Human Effort
तस्मादपचित: पार्थ लोके हास्यं गमिष्यसि । स्वथर्माद्धि मनुष्याणां चलन न प्रशस्यते
tasmād apacitaḥ pārtha loke hāsyaṃ gamiṣyasi | svadharmād dhi manuṣyāṇāṃ calanaṃ na praśasyate ||
അതുകൊണ്ട്, ഹേ പാർഥാ! ആ ധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വീഴ്ച വരുത്തിയാൽ നീ ലോകത്തിൽ പരിഹാസപാത്രമാകും. മനുഷ്യർ സ്വന്തം സ്വധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വഴുതിപ്പോകുന്നത് പ്രശംസനീയമല്ല.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses steadfastness in svadharma: abandoning one’s rightful duty leads to loss of honor and public contempt, and such moral wavering is not ethically commendable.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating the events, conveys a warning addressed to Pārtha (Arjuna): if he deviates from his proper conduct and duty, society will mock him; the narrative underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern with maintaining dharma under pressure.
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