Shloka 36

Devanagari script

कृतकृत्या: पुनर्वर्णा यदि वृत्तं न विद्यते । संकरस्त्वत्र नागेन्द्र बलवान्‌ प्रसमीक्षित:

Transliteration

kṛtakṛtyāḥ punarvarṇā yadi vṛttaṃ na vidyate | saṅkarastvatra nāgendra balavān prasamīkṣitaḥ ||

Translation

யுதிஷ்டிரன் கூறினான்—எல்லாம் முறையாக நிறைவேற்றப்பட்டபின்பும் நிகழ்ந்ததின் தெளிவு கிடைக்காவிடில், ஓ நாகேந்திரா, இங்கு வலிமையான ‘சங்கர’ (கலப்பு-குழப்பம்) காரணத்தை கவனமாக ஆராய வேண்டும்.

Word by Word

कृतकृत्याःhaving accomplished their purpose / successful

पुनःagain

वर्णाःclasses / castes

यदिif

वृत्तम्conduct / proper behavior

नnot

विद्यतेexists / is found

संकरःintermixture / confusion

तुbut / indeed

अत्रhere

नागेन्द्रO lord of serpents

बलवान्powerful

प्रसमीक्षितःhas been well observed / has been clearly seen

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Nāgendra (lord of serpents)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when duties seem completed, one should not accept an unclear or missing account at face value; instead, one must investigate the causes of confusion (saṅkara) that can distort facts and judgment, and apply careful discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a Nāga leader and reflects on the difficulty of establishing a clear account of events; he suggests that when the narrative is uncertain, the presence of powerful confusion or intermixture should be carefully examined.