Shloka 15

Dharma-śaṅkā-nivāraṇa: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Response on Karma-Phala and Trust in Dharma

Devanagari script

तथैव हठदुर्बुद्धिः शक्तः कर्मण्यकर्मकृत्‌ । आसीत न चिरं जीवेदनाथ इव दुर्बल:,इसी प्रकार जो हठी और दुर्बुद्धि मानव कर्म करनेमें समर्थ होकर भी कर्म नहीं करता, बैठा रहता है, वह दुर्बल एवं अनाथकी भाँति दीर्घजीवी नहीं होता

Transliteration

tathaiva haṭha-durbuddhiḥ śaktaḥ karmaṇy akarmakṛt | āsīta na ca ciraṃ jīved anātha iva durbalaḥ ||

Translation

ਇਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਹਠੀ ਤੇ ਮੂਰਖ ਮਨੁੱਖ—ਕਰਮ ਕਰਨ ਦੇ ਯੋਗ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਵੀ ਕਰਮ ਨਾ ਕਰੇ ਤੇ ਬੈਠਾ ਰਹੇ—ਉਹ ਕਮਜ਼ੋਰ ਤੇ ਬੇਆਸਰੇ ਵਾਂਗ ਲੰਮਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਜੀਉਂਦਾ।

Word by Word

तथाthus, in the same way

एवindeed, just

हठ-दुर्बुद्धिःa stubborn, ill-minded (man)

शक्तःable, capable

कर्मणिin/with regard to action (work)

अकर्म-कृत्one who does non-action; one who does not act

आसीतsat/was (seated), remained

नnot

चिरम्for long, long time

जीवेत्would live

अनाथःhelpless, without protector

इवlike, as if

दुर्बलःweak

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Capability creates responsibility: one who is able to act but, out of stubborn folly, refuses to do necessary work or dharma harms himself and quickly declines—like a weak, unprotected person.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira is articulating a moral judgment about conduct: he criticizes willful idleness in someone fit for action, stressing that such neglect of duty leads to ruin rather than stability or long life.