Shloka 36
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
कृतकृत्या: पुनर्वर्णा यदि वृत्तं न विद्यते । संकरस्त्वत्र नागेन्द्र बलवान् प्रसमीक्षित:
kṛtakṛtyāḥ punarvarṇā yadi vṛttaṃ na vidyate | saṅkarastvatra nāgendra balavān prasamīkṣitaḥ ||
युधिष्ठिर म्हणाला—सर्व काही यथाविधी करूनही जर वृत्तांत स्पष्ट होत नसेल, तर हे नागेंद्र, येथे प्रबळ ‘संकर’ (मिश्रणजन्य भ्रम) काळजीपूर्वक तपासावा.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when duties seem completed, one should not accept an unclear or missing account at face value; instead, one must investigate the causes of confusion (saṅkara) that can distort facts and judgment, and apply careful discernment.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a Nāga leader and reflects on the difficulty of establishing a clear account of events; he suggests that when the narrative is uncertain, the presence of powerful confusion or intermixture should be carefully examined.