Shloka 2
Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna
The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts
एतनमे तत्त्वतो ब्रूहि धर्म धर्मभूतां वर । प्रतिश्रुत्य दुरात्मानो न प्रयच्छन्ति ये नरा:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
etan me tattvato brūhi dharma-dharma-bhūtāṃ vara |
pratiśrutya durātmāno na prayacchanti ye narāḥ ||
Yudhishthira disse: “Ó melhor entre os justos, diz-me isto com verdade como questão de dharma: o que acontece àqueles homens de mente perversa que, após prometer, não dão o que empenharam?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames promise-keeping as a central obligation of dharma: making a pledge—especially regarding giving—and then withholding it is treated as a moral failure that warrants ethical scrutiny and consequences.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking clarity on righteous conduct, asks an elder authority on dharma to explain the true status or fate of people who promise to give but later refuse to fulfill their pledge.