Shloka 6
युधिष्ठिरने कहा--पितामह! भाग्यहीन मनुष्य बलवान हो तो भी उसे धन नहीं मिलता और जो भाग्यवान् है
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—akāryam asakṛt kṛtvā dṛśyante hy arthanā narāḥ | dhanayuktāḥ svakarmasthā dṛśyante cāpare ’rthanāḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Datuk Agung! Kita melihat ramai manusia yang, walaupun berulang kali melakukan perbuatan salah, tetap juga tidak berharta. Dan kita juga melihat yang lain, yang teguh dalam kewajipan yang wajar menurut dharma mereka, memiliki kekayaan—namun ada pula yang, meski demikian, tetap miskin. Maka apakah yang menguasai perolehan kemakmuran: takdir, kelakuan, atau sesuatu yang lain?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral problem: material outcomes (wealth/poverty) do not always visibly align with ethical behavior. It pushes the inquiry toward a deeper understanding of karma, time, and destiny, and cautions against judging righteousness solely by prosperity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma about the apparent mismatch between conduct and reward—observing that some who do wrong remain poor, while some who follow their duties are wealthy (and some still poor). He seeks an explanation of what truly governs fortune.