Draupadī’s Lament and Theodicy: Dharma, Dice, and Īśvara’s Governance (Āraṇyaka-parva 31)
न फलादर्शनाद् धर्म: शड्कितव्यो न देवता: । यष्टव्यं च प्रयत्नेन दातव्यं चानसूयता,धर्मका फल तुरंत दिखायी न दे तो इसके कारण धर्म एवं देवताओंपर आशंका नहीं करनी चाहिये। दोषदृष्टि न रखते हुए यत्नपूर्वक यज्ञ और दान करते रहना चाहिये
na phalādarśanād dharmaḥ śaṅkitavyo na devatāḥ | yaṣṭavyaṃ ca prayatnena dātavyaṃ cān asūyatā ||
玉提施提罗说道:“不可因果报未即刻显现,便怀疑达摩与诸天。应当持久用功,继续行祭祀与布施,不以过失之眼挑剔,也不怀怨怼。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Do not measure dharma by immediate visible rewards. Even when results are delayed or unseen, one should persist in righteous practice—especially yajña and dāna—without envy or a habit of blaming others.
In the Vana Parva context, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a principle of steadfastness in dharma during adversity: the absence of quick results is not grounds to distrust moral order or the divine; one must continue disciplined religious and ethical action.