Mahabharata 3.33.23 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 33, Shloka 23
अध्याय ३३ — कर्म, दैव, हठ, स्वभाव और पुरुषार्थ पर द्रौपदी का उपदेश
Draupadī on Action, Fate, and Human Effort
यस्य धर्मो हि धर्मार्थ क्लेशभाड़ू न स पण्डित: । न स धर्मस्य वेदार्थ सूर्यस्यान्ध: प्रभामिव
yasya dharmo hi dharmārthaḥ kleśabhāḍū na sa paṇḍitaḥ | na sa dharmasya vedārthaḥ sūryasyāndhaḥ prabhām iva ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Seseorang yang mengejar ‘dharma’ hanya demi nama dharma, hingga ia menjadi beban kesusahan, bukanlah orang bijaksana. Dia tidak memahami makna dan tujuan dharma, sebagaimana orang buta tidak dapat melihat sinar matahari.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not meant to be practiced as a hollow badge or as self-imposed suffering for its own sake. True wisdom lies in understanding dharma’s artha—its purpose, meaning, and ethical intent—rather than merely enduring hardship in its name.
Vaiśampāyana delivers a reflective maxim within the Vana Parva discourse, using a vivid analogy (a blind man and the sun’s radiance) to stress that without insight into dharma’s meaning, one’s practice remains fruitless and unintelligent.
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