Shloka 62
Svargārohaṇa-parva Adhyāya 5 — Karmaphala-Nirdeśa and Phalāśruti (कर्मफलनिर्देशः फलश्रुतिश्च)
ऊर्ध्वबाहुर्विरौम्येष न च कश्चित् शूणोति मे । धर्मादर्थक्ष॒ कामश्ष॒ स किमर्थ न सेव्यते
ūrdhvabāhur viraūmyeṣa na ca kaścit śṛṇoti me | dharmād arthaś ca kāmaś ca sa kimarthaṁ na sevyate ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—ऊर्ध्वबाहुर्विरौम्येष न च कश्चित् शृणोति मे। धर्मादर्थश्च कामश्च मोक्षश्चैव प्रवर्तते; स किमर्थं न सेव्यते॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely a moral ideal; it is presented as the foundation that yields all human aims—moksha (liberation) as well as artha (well-being) and kāma (legitimate enjoyment). The lament underscores that people ignore dharma despite its comprehensive benefits.
The speaker (Vaiśampāyana, narrating) voices a proverbial lament: he publicly proclaims the supremacy and practicality of dharma—symbolized by raising both arms and crying out—yet observes that people remain unwilling to listen or live by it.