Shloka 22
दैव–पुरुषकार-प्रश्नः
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Inquiry: Fate and Human Effort
कृत: पुरुषकारस्तु दैवमेवानुवर्तते । न दैवमकृते किंचित् कस्यचिद् दातुमहति,किया हुआ पुरुषार्थ ही दैवका अनुसरण करता है; परंतु पुरुषार्थ न करनेपर दैव किसीको कुछ नहीं दे सकता
kṛtaḥ puruṣakārastu daivamevānuvartate | na daivamakṛte kiñcit kasyacid dātum arhati ||
Bhishma sprach: „Ist menschliches Bemühen (purushakāra) getan, so folgt ihm das Schicksal (daiva). Wo aber kein Bemühen ist, taugt das Schicksal nicht dazu, irgendwem irgendetwas zu gewähren. Die Lehre ist ethisch und praktisch: Handle mit Entschlossenheit und Verantwortung; erst dann kann das, was man ‘Schicksal’ nennt, günstig werden.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the primacy of puruṣakāra (human effort): destiny becomes effective only when one acts. Without initiative and work, ‘fate’ cannot be credited with giving results; ethical life requires responsible action rather than fatalism.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he emphasizes that success and divine favor are aligned with deliberate effort, discouraging passivity and reliance on mere destiny.