Shloka 5
Prabhāsa-tīrthe Vṛṣṇi–Pāṇḍava-saṅgamaḥ; Halī Rāmasya dharma-vimarśaḥ
Meeting at Prabhāsa and Balarāma’s Reflection on Dharma
बलदेव उवाच न कृष्ण धर्मश्चरितो भवाय जन्तोरधर्मश्षु पराभवाय । युधिष्छिरो यत्र जटी महात्मा वनाश्रय: क्लिश्यति चीरवासा:,बलदेवजी बोले--श्रीकृष्ण! जान पड़ता है आचरणमें लाया हुआ धर्म भी प्राणियोंके अभ्युदयका कारण नहीं होता; और उनका किया हुआ अधर्म भी पराजयकी प्राप्ति करानेवाला नहीं होता, क्योंकि महात्मा युधिष्ठिरको (जो सदा धर्मका ही पालन करते हैं) जटाधारी होकर वल्कल वस्त्र पहने वनमें रहते हुए महान् क्लेश भोगना पड़ रहा है
baladeva uvāca | na kṛṣṇa dharmaś carito bhavāya jantor adharmaś ca parābhavāya | yudhiṣṭhiro yatra jaṭī mahātmā vanāśrayaḥ kliśyati cīravāsāḥ ||
Wika ni Baladeva: “O Kṛṣṇa, wari’y tila ang dharma, kahit isinasabuhay, ay hindi laging nagdudulot ng kagalingan sa tao; at ang adharma, kahit gawin, ay hindi laging humahantong sa pagkatalo. Sapagkat narito si Yudhiṣṭhira na dakila ang loob—laging tapat sa katuwiran—na may buhol-buhol na buhok, nakasuot ng kasuotang balat-kahoy, naninirahan sa gubat at gayon pa man ay dumaranas ng matinding paghihirap.”
बलदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Baladeva voices a moral paradox: the visible outcomes of life do not always align with moral conduct—righteous people may suffer and wrongdoers may prosper. The verse frames an ethical inquiry into how dharma relates to worldly results, using Yudhiṣṭhira’s hardship as evidence.
Baladeva addresses Kṛṣṇa and points to Yudhiṣṭhira’s condition during the forest exile: despite being devoted to dharma, he lives as an ascetic with matted hair and bark clothing and undergoes great distress. This observation sets up discussion about justice, fate, and the fruits of action.