Shloka 15
Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)
दैवेनाभ्याहतो राजा कर्मकाले महद्ुते । न साधयति यत् कर्म न तत्राहुरतिक्रमम्
daivenābhyāhato rājā karmakāle mahadute | na sādhayati yat karma na tatrāhur atikramam ||
قال فايشامبايانا: «إذا ضُرِب الملك بالقدر (daiva) في وقت الفعل نفسه، فلم يستطع إنجاز ما شرع فيه من عمل، فإن الحكماء لا يعدّون ذلك تعدّيًا أخلاقيًا. إنما يُنسب الإخفاق إلى سلطان المصير الغالب، لا إلى خرقٍ متعمَّد للواجب.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
If a ruler fails to complete an intended duty because overpowering fate intervenes at the crucial moment, that failure is not judged as a willful breach of dharma; culpability depends on intention and agency, not merely on outcome.
Vaiśampāyana states a general principle used in ethical reasoning: when circumstances attributed to daiva obstruct a king during the time of action, the tradition does not label the resulting non-fulfillment as an atikrama (transgression).