Shloka 356
अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
सर्व दैवकृतं विद्धि कोअत्र कि वक्तुमर्हति । “कुरुश्रेष्ठी उस युद्धमें जो सहस्रों राजा काट डाले गये हैं, वह सब दैवकी ही करतूत समझिये। इस विषयमें दूसरा कोई क्या कह सकता है
sarvaṃ daivakṛtaṃ viddhi ko 'tra kiṃ vaktum arhati |
Know that everything here is wrought by destiny; who, in this matter, is fit to say anything else? O best of the Kurus, in that war where thousands of kings were cut down, understand it all as the working of fate alone—what further can anyone add?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes daiva (destiny) as the overriding explanation for catastrophic outcomes like mass slaughter in war, urging restraint in judgment and speech—since events unfold under forces beyond any single human agent’s full control.
Vaiśampāyana, recounting events, offers a consolatory framing of the Kurukṣetra devastation: the deaths of countless kings are to be understood as fate’s working, implying that further argument, blame, or speculation is ultimately futile.