Shloka 38
Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)
न फलादर्शनाद् धर्म: शड्कितव्यो न देवता: । यष्टव्यं च प्रयत्नेन दातव्यं चानसूयता,धर्मका फल तुरंत दिखायी न दे तो इसके कारण धर्म एवं देवताओंपर आशंका नहीं करनी चाहिये। दोषदृष्टि न रखते हुए यत्नपूर्वक यज्ञ और दान करते रहना चाहिये
na phalādarśanād dharmaḥ śaṅkitavyo na devatāḥ | yaṣṭavyaṃ ca prayatnena dātavyaṃ cān asūyatā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Jangan meragui dharma, dan jangan meragui para dewa, hanya kerana buahnya belum segera terlihat. Sebaliknya, dengan usaha yang berterusan, teruskan melakukan korban suci dan bersedekah, tanpa mencari-cari kesalahan dan tanpa rasa dengki.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not measure dharma by immediate visible rewards. Even when results are delayed or unseen, one should persist in righteous practice—especially yajña and dāna—without envy or a habit of blaming others.
In the Vana Parva context, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a principle of steadfastness in dharma during adversity: the absence of quick results is not grounds to distrust moral order or the divine; one must continue disciplined religious and ethical action.