Shloka 82
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
दैवं पुरुषकारश्न स्थितावन्योन्यसंश्रयात् । उदाराणां तु सत्कर्म दैवं क्लीबा उपासते,दैव और पुरुषार्थ दोनों एक-दूसरेके सहारे रहते हैं, परंतु उदार विचारवाले पुरुष सर्वदा शुभ कर्म करते हैं और नपुंसक दैवके भरोसे पड़े रहते हैं
daivaṁ puruṣakāraś ca sthitāv anyonya-saṁśrayāt | udārāṇāṁ tu satkarma daivaṁ klībā upāsate ||
Brahmadatta said: Fate (the divine dispensation) and human effort stand only by leaning upon one another. Yet the noble-minded persist in righteous action, while the weak and unmanly merely worship fate—living on it as an excuse instead of acting well.
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
Divine fate and human effort are interdependent, but ethical excellence lies in choosing sustained righteous action; blaming or relying solely on fate is portrayed as moral weakness.
In a didactic exchange within the Śānti Parva, Brahmadatta articulates a moral principle: noble people act virtuously regardless of circumstances, whereas the timid justify inaction by appealing to fate.