Shloka 42
अध्याय ३० — क्रोधदोषाः क्षमाप्रशंसा च
Defects of Anger and the Praise of Forbearance
कर्म चेत् कृतमन्वेति कर्तारें नान्यमृच्छति । कर्मणा तेन पापेन लिप्यते नूनमी श्वर:,यदि किया हुआ कर्म कर्ताका ही पीछा करता है, दूसरेके पास नहीं जाता, तब तो ईश्वर भी उस पापकर्मसे अवश्य लिप्त होंगे
karma cet kṛtam anveti kartāraṃ nānyam ṛcchati | karmaṇā tena pāpena lipyate nūnam īśvaraḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Nếu một hành vi đã làm tất yếu chỉ đeo bám kẻ thực hiện, không chuyển sang ai khác, thì hẳn ngay cả Đấng Tối Thượng cũng sẽ bị vấy bởi nghiệp ác ấy—nếu chính Ngài là đấng an bài hay thúc đẩy nó.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse probes moral causality: if karmic results adhere strictly to the agent, then attributing human wrongdoing to divine control would imply divine moral taint. It raises the classic tension between personal responsibility and the idea of a supreme controller.
In the Vana Parva dialogue context, Yudhiṣṭhira is reasoning about karma and accountability. He challenges a view that shifts blame away from the individual by arguing that, if deeds truly cling to their doer, then making God the effective doer would make God share the stain of sin.