Shloka 4
दानपात्रापात्र-निर्णयः / Determining Worthy Gifts, Recipients, and Permissible Food
धर्मचर्या च राज्यं च नित्यमेव विरुध्यते । एवं मुहाति मे चेतश्चिन्तयानस्य नित्यश:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | dharmacaryā ca rājyaṃ ca nityam eva virudhyate | evaṃ muhyati me cetaś cintayānasya nityaśaḥ |
尤提士提罗说道：“修持达摩与治理王国，似乎确实恒常相违。我反复思量，心神愈发迷惘；不息的沉思在我心上投下了迷妄之幕。”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a classic Mahābhārata problem: personal righteousness (dharmacaryā) can appear to clash with the practical demands of ruling (rājya). Yudhiṣṭhira’s confession highlights that ethical governance is not automatic; it requires discernment to reconcile competing duties rather than choosing one duty blindly.
In Śānti Parva, after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira is troubled and seeks instruction on dharma and kingship. Here he voices his ongoing mental turmoil: repeated contemplation of how to rule without violating dharma leaves him confused and inwardly clouded.