Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 47
कालयुक्तधर्मविवेकः
Discerning Dharma in Accord with Time
अल्पाबाधास्तथा केचिन्महाबाधास्तथापरे । दृश्यन्ते पुरुषा देव तन्मे व्याख्यातुमहसि
alpābādhās tathā kecin mahābādhās tathāpare | dṛśyante puruṣā deva tan me vyākhyātum arhasi ||
大自在天说道：“噢，主宰啊，有些人只遭遇微小的障碍，而有些人却被巨大的灾厄所围困。既然见到世人陷入如此不均与多样的境况，这种差别的原因是什么？请为我详加开示。”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-philosophical inquiry into why human beings experience unequal degrees of suffering, inviting an explanation in terms of moral causality (often developed as karma, past actions, and the workings of dharma).
Maheshvara addresses a divine interlocutor as “Deva” and asks for a detailed account of the reason some people face only small obstacles while others endure major calamities, highlighting the observed disparity in human fortunes.