Shloka 2
द्रोणाभिमुखानां निवारण-युद्धम् / Interceptions on the Droṇa-front
सम्प्रयुक्त: किलैवायं दिष्टर्भवति पूरुष: । तस्मिन्नेव च सर्वार्था: प्रदृश्यन्ते पृथग्विधा:,निश्चय ही यह मनुष्य दैवसे प्रेरित होता है। सबके पृथक्-पृथक् सम्पूर्ण मनोरथ दैवपर ही अवलम्बित दिखायी देते हैं
samprayuktaḥ kilaivāyaṃ diṣṭair bhavati pūruṣaḥ | tasminn eva ca sarvārthāḥ pradṛśyante pṛthagvidhāḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra sagte: Wahrlich, der Mensch wird allein vom Schicksal in Bewegung gesetzt. Und in eben diesem Schicksal erscheinen alle Ziele und Ergebnisse—jedes in seiner eigenen Gestalt—als gegründet, als hinge jedes Verlangen von der unsichtbaren Fügung ab, die die Ereignisse antreibt.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a strong daiva-vāda: human action and the fulfillment of aims appear to be driven by what is ordained (diṣṭa). Ethically, it reflects a tendency to interpret success and failure as dependent on destiny, raising the question of how much responsibility a person (especially a king) should still accept for choices made in war.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra comments on events of the Kurukṣetra war with a fatalistic reflection: people seem propelled by destiny, and the diverse goals and outcomes of individuals appear to rest upon that destiny. It frames his response to unfolding reports by emphasizing inevitability.