Shloka 3

Devanagari script

कृतयत्नाफलाश्रैव दृश्यन्ते शतशो नरा: । अयत्नेनैधमानाश्र दृश्यन्ते बहवो जना:

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kṛtayatnāphalāś caiva dṛśyante śataśo narāḥ | ayatnenaiva dhanaṃ yeṣāṃ dṛśyante bahavo janāḥ ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Người ta thấy hàng trăm kẻ nỗ lực mà chẳng có kết quả—dẫu gắng sức vẫn không đạt điều mình cầu. Và cũng thấy nhiều người khác, của cải tăng lên từng ngày dù hầu như không phải lao tâm khổ lực.”

Word by Word

• कृतयत्नाफलाश्च: those whose efforts are made yet fruitless
• कृतयत्नाफलाश्च: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत-यत्न-अफल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (पश्यति)
• Form: Present, Passive, Third, Plural

• शतशः: by hundreds; in hundreds
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतशस्

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अयत्नेन: without effort; by non-effort
• अयत्नेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• एधमानाः: growing; increasing
• एधमानाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एधमान (एध् धातु, शतृ/शानच् कृदन्त प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (पश्यति)
• Form: Present, Passive, Third, Plural

• बहवः: many
• बहवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical-philosophical tension central to dharma discourse: outcomes in the world do not always correspond to visible effort. Some strive yet fail, while others prosper without striving—prompting reflection on karma, destiny (daiva), and the limits of human control.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira is voicing an observation about social reality—unequal results of effort and the seemingly effortless rise of wealth for some—typically as a prelude to questioning a teacher/elder about the principles governing justice, karma, and right conduct.