Shloka 18
Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)
प्रायक्षित्तं न तस्यास्ति यो धर्ममभिशड्कते । ध्यायन् स कृपण: पापो न लोकानू् प्रतिपद्यते,जो धर्मके प्रति संदेह करता है, उसकी शुद्धिके लिये कोई प्रायश्चित्त नहीं है। वह धर्मविरोधी चिन्तन करनेवाला दीन पापात्मा पुरुष उत्तम लोकोंको नहीं पाता अर्थात् अधोगतिको प्राप्त होता है
prāyaścittaṁ na tasyāsti yo dharmam abhiśaṅkate | dhyāyan sa kṛpaṇaḥ pāpo na lokān uttarān pratipadyate ||
Bagi orang yang menyimpan syak terhadap Dharma, tiada penebusan (prāyaścitta) baginya. Dia—hina dan berdosa, tenggelam dalam fikiran yang menentang kebenaran—tidak mencapai alam-alam yang luhur; sebaliknya jatuh ke takdir yang rendah.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma requires inner trust and commitment; doubting the very validity of dharma undermines moral life so deeply that ordinary expiations cannot restore it. Persistent anti-dharmic brooding leads to loss of merit and a lower posthumous destiny.
Yudhiṣṭhira speaks as a moral instructor, warning that skepticism toward dharma is not a minor lapse but a foundational rupture. He frames the consequence in traditional terms—failure to reach the higher worlds—thereby emphasizing the gravity of ethical doubt.