Shloka 15
Śikhaṇḍinī’s Marriage Arrangement and the Daśārṇa Envoy’s Accusation (शिखण्डिनी-विवाह-विप्रलम्भ-प्रसङ्गः)
दैवं हि मानुषोपेतं भृशं सिद्धयति पार्थिव | परस्परविरोधाद्धि सिद्धिरस्ति न चैतयो:
daivaṁ hi mānuṣopetaṁ bhṛśaṁ siddhayati pārthiva | parasparavirodhād dhi siddhir asti na caitayoḥ ||
Bhishma sprach: „O König, das Schicksal wird wahrhaft mächtig und wirksam, wenn es von menschlichem Bemühen begleitet ist. Doch wenn Fügung und persönliches Streben einander widersprechen, gelangt keines von beiden zum Erfolg.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Success arises when destiny (daiva) and human effort (puruṣārtha) cooperate; if they clash, neither yields results. The verse urges rulers to align action with circumstances rather than relying on fate alone.
In Udyoga Parva, Bhishma is giving political-ethical counsel to a kingly listener, emphasizing that wise action and divine allotment must work together for outcomes—an important principle in deliberations leading up to war.