Shloka 26
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — इरावान्-आवन्त्ययोः युद्धम्, घटोत्कच-भगदत्त-संघर्षः, मद्रेश्वर-विक्षेपः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Irāvān vs the Avanti princes; Ghaṭotkaca vs Bhagadatta; Śalya checked by the Mādrī twins
अथवा भाव्यमेवं हि संजयैतेन सर्वथा । पुरा धात्रा यथा सूष्टं तत् तथा नैतदन््यथा,संजय! अथवा यह सब प्रकारसे ऐसा ही होनेवाला था। विधाताने जो पहलेसे रच रखा है, वह उसी रूपमें होता है, उसे कोई बदल नहीं सकता
athavā bhāvyam evaṁ hi sañjayaitena sarvathā | purā dhātrā yathā sṛṣṭaṁ tat tathā naitad anyathā, sañjaya! |
Or else, O Sañjaya, this was destined to happen in precisely this way. Whatever the Ordainer had fashioned long ago comes to pass in that very form; it cannot be otherwise.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the inevitability of what has been ordained: events unfold according to a prior cosmic arrangement (daiva), and human effort cannot fully overturn what the Creator has set in motion.
Sañjaya voices a reflection on the unfolding war-events, framing them as destined—what was arranged long ago by the Ordainer is now manifesting exactly as intended, and cannot occur otherwise.