Shloka 69
अध्याय ३३ — कर्म, दैव, हठ, स्वभाव और पुरुषार्थ पर द्रौपदी का उपदेश
Draupadī on Action, Fate, and Human Effort
सत्त्वेन कुरुते युद्ध राजन् सुबलवानपि । नोद्यमेन न होत्राभि: सर्वाः स्वीकुरुते प्रजा:,“राजन! अत्यन्त बलवान् पुरुष भी आत्मबलसे ही युद्ध करता है, वह किसी अन्य प्रयत्नसे या प्रशंसाद्वारा सब प्रजाको अपने वशमें नहीं करता
sattvena kurute yuddhaṁ rājan subalavān api | nodyamena na hotrābhiḥ sarvāḥ svīkurute prajāḥ ||
قال فايشَمبايانا: «أيها الملك، حتى الرجلُ بالغُ القوّة إنما يخوض الحرب بقوّة عزيمته الباطنة. لكنه لا يضمّ إليه جميع رعيّته بمجرد السعي، ولا بالترتيل الطقوسيّ والمدائح.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts sheer strength and outward means (effort, ritual praise) with the deeper basis of authority: inner steadiness/virtue (sattva). Military power may initiate conflict, but it cannot automatically secure the genuine acceptance and loyalty of the people; legitimacy requires more than force or ceremonial endorsement.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a king and offers a reflective observation on rule and conflict: even the strongest person fights relying on his own inner power, yet he cannot simply ‘appropriate’ all subjects through exertion or priestly rites. It functions as counsel on the limits of coercion and the need for ethical grounding in governance.