अस्तु वाऽत्र फलं मा वा कर्तव्यं पुरुषेण यत्। गृहे निवसता कृष्णे यथाशक्ति करोमि तत्
Whether there is fruit here or not, a person must do what should be done; living in the house, O Krishna, I act according to my ability.
धर्मं चरामि सुश्रोणि न धर्मफलकारणात्। आगमाननतिक्रम्य सतां वृत्तमवेक्ष्य च
I practice righteousness, O fair-hipped one, not for the sake of its reward; not transgressing the tradition, and observing the conduct of the virtuous.
धर्म एव मनः कृष्णे स्वभावाच्चैव मे धृतम्। [धर्मवाणिज्यको हीनो जघन्यो धर्मवादिनाम्]
My mind, O Krishna, is fixed on righteousness alone, and this is held by my very nature; for one who trades in righteousness is the lowest among those who speak of righteousness.
न धर्मफलमाप्नोति यो धर्मं दोग्धुमिच्छति। यश्चैनं शङ्कते कृत्वा नास्तिक्यात्पापचेतनः
He does not obtain the fruit of righteousness who seeks to milk righteousness; and he who, after acting, doubts it out of disbelief, is of sinful mind.
अतिवादान्मदाच्चैव मा धर्ममभिशङ्कथाः। धर्मातिशङ्की पुरुषस्तिर्यग्गतिपरायणः
Do not, out of excessive argument or pride, cast suspicion on righteousness; the man who excessively doubts righteousness is destined for lower births.
धर्मो यस्यातिशङ्क्यः स्यादार्षं वा दुर्बलात्मनः। वेदाच्छूद्र इवापेयात्स लोकादजरामरात्
For one whose mind is weak, if righteousness or the words of the seers become suspect, he should be cast out from the world of the deathless, like a Shudra from the Veda.
वेदाध्यायी धर्मपरः कुले जातो मनस्विनि। स्थविरेषु स योक्तव्यो राजभिर्धर्मचारिभिः
He who is devoted to the Veda, intent on righteousness, and born in a noble family, O wise one, should be engaged by elders and righteous kings.
पापीयान्स हि शूद्रेभ्यस्तस्करेभ्यो विशिष्यते। शास्त्रातिगो मन्दबुद्धिर्यो धर्ममतिशङ्कते
He is more sinful than Shudras and worse than thieves, that dull-witted one who, transgressing the scripture, casts suspicion on righteousness.
प्रत्यक्षं हि त्वया दृष्ट ऋषिर्गच्छन्महातपाः। मार्कण्डेयोऽप्रमेयात्मा धर्मेण चिरजीविता
You yourself have seen with your own eyes the sage of great austerity, Markandeya, whose soul is immeasurable, living long through righteousness.
व्यासो वसिष्ठो मैत्रेयो नारदो लोमशः शुकः। अन्ये च ऋषयः सर्वे धर्मेणैव सुचेतसः
Vyasa, Vasishtha, Maitreya, Narada, Lomasha, Shuka, and all the other sages, wise in mind, live by righteousness alone.
प्रत्यक्षं पश्यसि ह्येतान्दिव्ययोगसमन्वितान्। शापानुग्रहणे शक्तान्देवेभ्योऽपि गरीयसः
You see these directly, endowed with divine yoga, able to bestow curses and blessings, greater even than the gods.
एते हि धर्ममेवादौ वर्णयन्ति सदाऽनधे। कर्तव्यममरप्रख्याः प्रत्यक्षागमबुद्धयः
These, immortal in fame and direct in knowledge, always declare righteousness at the beginning, as what must be done.
अतो नार्हसि कल्याणि धातारं धर्ममेव च। रजोमूढेन मनसा क्षेप्तुं शङ्कितुमेव च
Therefore, O blessed one, you should not, with a mind deluded by passion, cast aside or doubt the Creator or righteousness itself.
उन्मत्तान्मन्यते बालः सर्वानागतनिश्चयान्। धर्मातिशङ्की नान्यस्मिन्प्रमाणमधिगच्छति
A child thinks all those whose ends are not yet manifest to be mad; one who doubts righteousness finds no authority in anything else.
इन्द्रियप्रीतिसंबद्धं यदिदं लोकसाक्षिकम्। एतावन्मन्यते बालो मोहमन्यत्र गच्छति
That which is connected to sense pleasure and witnessed by the world, the child considers to be all there is; delusion leads him elsewhere.
प्रायश्चित्तं न तस्यास्ति यो धर्ममतिशङ्कते। ध्यायन्स कृपणः पापो न लोकान्प्रतिपद्यते
There is no atonement for one who doubts righteousness; thinking thus, that miserable sinner does not attain the worlds.
प्रमाणाद्धि निवृत्तो हि वेदशास्त्रार्थनिन्दकः। कामलोभानुगो मूढो नरकं प्रतिपद्यते
He who, turning away from authority, reviles the meaning of the Veda and the scriptures, following desire and greed, deluded, goes to hell.
आर्षं प्रमाणमुत्क्राम्य धर्मं न प्रतिपालयन्। सर्वशास्त्रातिगो मूढः शं जन्मसु न विन्दति
He who, abandoning the authority of the seers, does not uphold righteousness, that deluded one who transgresses all the scriptures, finds no good in any birth.
यस्तु नित्यं कृतमतिर्धर्ममेवाभिपद्यते। अशङ्कमानः कल्याणि सोऽमुत्रानन्त्यमश्नुते
But the one whose mind is always set on righteousness, who pursues only dharma without doubt, O auspicious one, he attains endlessness in the next world.
यस्य नार्षं प्रमाणं स्याच्छिष्टाचारश्च भामिनि। न वै तस्य परो लोको नायमस्तीति निश्चयः
O fair lady, for one who does not accept the authority of the seers and the conduct of the virtuous, there is certainly neither this world nor the next—this is certain.
शिष्टैराचरितं धर्मं कृष्णे मास्मातिशङ्कथाः। पुराणमृषिभिः प्रोक्तं सर्वज्ञैः सर्वदर्शिभिः
Do not doubt, O Kṛṣṇā, the dharma practiced by the virtuous; it was declared by ancient seers, by those who know all and see all.
धर्म एव प्लवो नान्यः स्वर्गं द्रौपदि गच्छताम्। सैवः नौः सागरस्येव वणिजः पारमिच्छतः
Dharma alone is the raft, O Draupadī, for those who seek heaven; it is like a boat for a merchant wishing to cross the sea.
अफलो यदि धर्मः स्याच्चरितो धर्मचारिभिः। अप्रतिष्ठे तमस्येतज्जगन्मज्जेदनिन्दिते
If dharma, as practiced by the followers of dharma, were fruitless, O blameless one, this world would sink into ungrounded darkness.
निर्वाणं नाधिगच्छेयुर्जीवेयुः पशुजीविकाम्। विघातेनैव युज्येयुर्न चार्थं कंचिदाप्नुयुः
They would not attain liberation, they would live the life of beasts; they would be engaged only in hardship and would not obtain any goal.
तपश्च ब्रह्मचर्यं च यज्ञः स्वाध्याय एव च। दानमार्जवमेतानि यदि स्युरफलानि वै
If austerity, celibacy, sacrifice, study of the Veda, giving, and uprightness were indeed fruitless—
नाचरिष्यन्परे धर्मं परे परतरेऽपि च। दानमार्जवमेतानि यदि स्युरफलानि वै
Then others, even the highest, would not practice dharma; if giving and uprightness were indeed fruitless—
ऋषयस्चैव देवाश्च गन्धर्वासुरराक्षसाः। ईश्वराः कस्य हेतोस्ते चरेयुर्धर्ममादृताः
Why then, O lady, would seers, gods, gandharvas, asuras, rākṣasas, and lords, practice dharma with reverence?
फलदं त्विह विज्ञाय धातारं श्रेयसि स्थितम्। धर्मं तेऽव्यचरन्कृष्णे स हि धर्म सनातनः
But knowing that the Giver, established in the highest good, bestows fruit here, they practiced dharma, O Kṛṣṇā, for that dharma is eternal.
स चायं सफलो धर्मो न धर्मोऽफल उच्यते। दृश्यन्तेऽपि हि विद्यानां फलानि तपसां तथा
And this dharma is indeed fruitful; it is not called fruitless. For the fruits of knowledge and of austerities are indeed seen.
त्वय्येतद्वै विजानीहि जन्म कृष्णे यथाश्रुतम्। वेत्थ चापि यथा जातो धृष्टद्युम्नः प्रतापवान्
Know this, O Kṛṣṇā, as you have heard about birth; and you also know how the mighty Dhṛṣṭadyumna was born.