Shloka 38

Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)

Devanagari script

न फलादर्शनाद्‌ धर्म: शड्कितव्यो न देवता: । यष्टव्यं च प्रयत्नेन दातव्यं चानसूयता,धर्मका फल तुरंत दिखायी न दे तो इसके कारण धर्म एवं देवताओंपर आशंका नहीं करनी चाहिये। दोषदृष्टि न रखते हुए यत्नपूर्वक यज्ञ और दान करते रहना चाहिये

Transliteration

na phalādarśanād dharmaḥ śaṅkitavyo na devatāḥ | yaṣṭavyaṃ ca prayatnena dātavyaṃ cān asūyatā ||

Translation

యుధిష్ఠిరుడు అన్నాడు— ఫలం వెంటనే కనబడకపోయినా ధర్మాన్నీ దేవతలనూ సందేహించకూడదు. దోషదృష్టి, అసూయలను విడిచి, యత్నపూర్వకంగా యజ్ఞం చేస్తూ, దానం చేస్తూ ఉండాలి.

Word by Word

नnot

फल-अदर्शनात्from (the fact of) non-seeing of the result

धर्मःdharma, righteousness

शङ्कितव्यःis to be suspected / should be doubted

नnot

देवताःdeities, gods

यष्टव्यम्sacrifice is to be performed / one should perform sacrifice

चand

प्रयत्नेनwith effort

दातव्यम्a gift is to be given / one should give

चand

अनसूयताwithout envy/carping; with non-maliciousness

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

dharma

devatāḥ (the gods)

yajña (sacrifice)

dāna (charity)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Do not measure dharma by immediate visible rewards. Even when results are delayed or unseen, one should persist in righteous practice—especially yajña and dāna—without envy or a habit of blaming others.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Vana Parva context, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a principle of steadfastness in dharma during adversity: the absence of quick results is not grounds to distrust moral order or the divine; one must continue disciplined religious and ethical action.