Shloka 3
Nakula’s Adaptive Counsel to Kṛṣṇa in the Kuru Assembly (उद्योगपर्व, अध्याय ७८)
तत्र वै पौरुषं ब्रूयुरासेकं यत्र कारितम्
tatra vai pauruṣaṁ brūyur āsekaṁ yatra kāritam
„Darin nennt man wahre männliche Anstrengung gerade dort, wo einer das Ergebnis tatsächlich herbeigeführt hat; bloße Absicht oder Rede gilt nicht als Tapferkeit, wenn sie nicht durch Tat zur Wirklichkeit wird.“
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Valor (pauruṣa) is measured by effective action—by actually bringing about what one undertakes—rather than by mere resolve, speech, or self-assertion. Ethical worth here is tied to responsibility for outcomes and the courage to translate intent into deed.
Arjuna is speaking in the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, emphasizing a practical standard for heroism: people recognize true effort where a deed has been made to happen. The line supports a broader argument about decisive conduct in a dharma-charged crisis.