Shloka 276
दैवं पुरुषकारेण को निवर्तितुमुत्सहेत् | यह युद्ध अवश्यम्भावी है। इसे कोई टाल नहीं सकता। भला, दैवको पुरुषार्थके द्वारा कौन मिटा सकता है
daivaṃ puruṣakāreṇa ko nivartitum utsahet | ayaṃ yuddho 'vaśyambhāvī; enaṃ kaścin na tālayituṃ śaknoti | bhala, daivaṃ puruṣārthena kaḥ pramārṣṭum arhati ||
Karna said: “Who could dare to turn back what is ordained by fate through mere human effort? This war is inevitable; no one can avert it. Indeed, who can erase destiny by personal striving?”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karna asserts the supremacy of daiva (destiny) over puruṣakāra (human effort), framing the coming conflict as unavoidable. Ethically, it reflects a deterministic justification that can lessen personal responsibility by presenting events as fated.
In the Bhīṣma Parva’s war-setting discourse, Karna speaks in a tone of grim certainty, insisting that the battle cannot be averted. His statement functions as a rhetorical push toward accepting and proceeding with the war rather than seeking delay or reconciliation.