03.032
Core: Yudhisthira rebukes Draupadi for her atheist thoughts, and advises her to follow the Dharma without anticipating any reward.
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
O Yajñaseni, you have spoken sweet, varied, and gentle words; we have heard that speech, but you speak of atheism. (3-32-1)
O princess, I do not practice seeking the fruits of dharma. I give simply because it is to be given, and I perform sacrifices simply because they are to be performed. (3-32-2)
Let there be or not be fruit here; whatever is to be done by a man, as a dweller in Kṛṣṇa's house, I do that to the best of my ability. (3-32-3)
O beautiful-hipped one, I practice righteousness not for the sake of its reward; without transgressing the scriptures and having observed the conduct of the virtuous, my mind is fixed on duty alone, O Kṛṣṇā, by nature and indeed. (3-32-4)
He does not attain the fruit of dharma who desires to exploit dharma; and he who, having done so, doubts it out of atheism, is of sinful mind. (3-32-5)
Do not doubt righteousness because of excessive speech or pride; a man who doubts righteousness is destined for the path of animals. (3-32-6)
If a person's law is very doubtful, whether it is of the ṛṣis or of one with a weak self, then like a śūdra from the Veda, he should be excluded from the world of the undecaying and immortal. (3-32-7)
O illustrious one, a person who studies the Vedas, is devoted to dharma, and is born in a good family, should be appointed among the elders by righteous kings. (3-32-8)
He who, with a dull intellect, transgresses the śāstra and excessively doubts dharma is indeed more sinful than even the śūdras and especially the thieves. (3-32-9)
You have directly seen the sage going, the great ascetic Markandeya, whose soul is immeasurable, who by righteousness has attained long life. (3-32-10)
Vyāsa, Vasiṣṭha, Maitreya, Nārada, Lomaśa, Śuka, and other sages who are perfected and of good intellect by dharma. (3-32-11)
You see directly these beings endowed with divine powers, who are capable of both cursing and granting favor, and who are even greater than the gods. (3-32-12)
These, indeed, always describe only duty at the beginning as my duty to be done, those whose intellects are like immortals, based on direct perception and scripture. (3-32-13)
Therefore, O auspicious one, you should not, with a mind deluded by passion, blame or doubt the creator and dharma. (3-32-14)
One who doubts dharma does not accept any other authority; those who are self-authoritative and arrogant indeed despise what is superior. (3-32-15)
That which is connected to sense pleasure and is witnessed by the world, the child thinks this is all; delusion goes elsewhere. (3-32-16)
There is no expiation for one who excessively doubts dharma. Meditating, the miserable and sinful person does not attain the worlds. (3-32-17)
Indeed, one who transgresses authorities, reviles the meaning of the Vedas and scriptures, and is deluded by following desire and greed, attains hell. (3-32-18)
But he who always, with a resolute mind, pursues only dharma without any doubt, O auspicious one, attains endless results in the other world. (3-32-19)
A deluded person who transgresses the authority of the ṛṣis and does not observe dharmas, going beyond all śāstras, does not find auspiciousness in any of his births. (3-32-20)
O Kṛṣṇa, do not excessively doubt the dharma practiced by the virtuous; it is ancient, spoken by sages, by those who are all-knowing and all-seeing. (3-32-21)
O Draupadi, righteousness alone is the raft, and there is no other, for those who seek to reach heaven; just as a boat is for merchants wishing to cross the ocean. (3-32-22)
O blameless one, if the dharma practiced by the righteous were fruitless, then this world would sink into darkness, lacking any foundation. (3-32-23)
They would not attain extinction, but would live an animal livelihood; they would be engaged only in obstruction, and would not obtain any object at all. (3-32-24)
If austerity, celibacy, sacrifice, self-study, charity, and straightforwardness are fruitless, indeed, then these are of no value. (3-32-25)
If actions were fruitless, then others, and even more others, would not perform their duty; this would be complete deception. (3-32-26)
For what reason would seers, gods, gandharvas, asuras, rākṣasas, and lords practice dharma with respect? (3-32-27)
But knowing here the fruit-giving supporter in the highest and eternal good, practicing your duty in Kṛṣṇa, that indeed is the eternal dharma. (3-32-28)
He, and this dharma, is said to be fruitful; dharma is not said to be fruitless. Indeed, the fruits of knowledge and likewise of austerities are also seen. (3-32-29)
O Kṛṣṇa, know this birth in you as it has been heard. You also know how the mighty Dhṛṣṭadyumna was born. (3-32-30)
This much alone is a sufficient example, O pure-smiling one; the wise person, believing that actions have results, is content even with little. (3-32-31)
Even with much, indeed, the ignorant and unintelligent are never satisfied; for them, after death, there is neither happiness nor any result of action born of dharma. (3-32-32)
O beautiful lady, the origin and dissolution of actions, the arising of results of meritorious and sinful acts, and the divine secrets (are explained here). (3-32-33)
No one knows these; these creatures here are deluded; these protections of the gods are indeed the hidden illusion of the divinities. (3-32-34)
Those twice-born who are thin-bodied, well-disciplined, whose sins have been burnt away by austerity, and who possess clear minds, indeed see these things. (3-32-35)
One should not doubt duty because the results are not seen, nor should one doubt the deities. Sacrifice should be performed attentively, and charity should be given without envy. (3-32-36)
The fruit of actions exists; thus, this is the eternal law. Brahmā spoke to his sons what the sage Kaśyapa knows. (3-32-37)
Therefore, let your doubt in Kṛṣṇa vanish like mist. Be certain that "all exists" and abandon any atheistic state of mind. (3-32-38)
Do not doubt the Lord, the sustainer of all beings; learn from him, bow to him, and do not let your understanding be of this kind. (3-32-39)
By whose grace, a devotee, though mortal, attains immortality. Do not ever speak excessively about the supreme divinity in Kṛṣṇa. (3-32-40)
