Shloka 34
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Saṃvāda
Kṛpa’s Counsel on Destiny and Human Effort
तदस्माभि: पुनः कार्यमिति मे नैष्ठिकी मति: । हमारे पूछनेपर वे लोग अब हमारे लिये जो श्रेयस्कर कार्य बतावें, वही हमें करना चाहिये; मेरी बुद्धिका तो यही दृढ़ निश्चय है ।।
tad asmābhiḥ punaḥ kāryam iti me naiṣṭhikī matiḥ | anārambhāt tu kāryāṇāṃ nārthaḥ sampadyate kvacit |
Kṛpa said: “Therefore, it is for us to act again—this is my steadfast conviction. For if one does not even begin an undertaking, no purpose is ever accomplished anywhere. Yet those whose aims do not succeed even after exertion are surely struck down by fate; on this point there should be no doubt.”
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛpa emphasizes that meaningful results require initiating action; mere hesitation yields nothing. At the same time, he acknowledges a limit to human effort: if success does not come even after proper exertion, it may be due to overpowering fate (daiva). The ethical thrust is toward resolute, responsible action rather than paralysis.
In the Sauptika Parva’s tense aftermath of the great war, Kṛpa advises his companions with a firm, practical resolve: they must decide and act. He frames the moment as one where inaction guarantees failure, while action is necessary—even if outcomes can still be constrained by fate.