Shloka 50
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
अहो! पुत्रके वियोगसे पीड़ित हो मृतकोंके इस शून्य स्थानमें आकर अत्यन्त दुःखसे रोने-बिलखनेवाले इन भूतलवासी मनुष्योंके हृदयमें बछड़ोंसे रहित हुई गायोंकी भाँति कितना शोक होता है? इसका अनुभव मुझे आज हुआ है; क्योंकि इनके स्नेहको निमित्त बनाकर मेरी आँखोंसे भी आँसू बहने लगे हैं ।।
aho! putrake viyogena pīḍito mṛtakānām asmin śūnye sthāne āgatya atyanta-duḥkhena rorūyamāṇānām imān bhūtalavāsinaḥ manuṣyānāṁ hṛdaye vatsair rahitāḥ gāva iva kīdṛśaḥ śoko bhavati? tad anubhūtaṁ mayā adya; eteṣāṁ snehān nimittaṁ kṛtvā mama api akṣibhyāṁ aśrūṇi pravṛttāni. yatno hi satataṁ kāryaḥ, tato daivena siddhyati; daivaṁ puruṣakāraś ca kṛtāntena upapadyate.
Jambuka said: “Alas! Today I have come to know what grief fills the hearts of men who dwell upon the earth—when, tormented by separation from a son, they arrive at this desolate place of the dead and, overwhelmed by sorrow, weep and lament—like cows bereft of their calves. Their affection has become the very cause of my own tears as well. Therefore one should always persist in effort for the attainment of what is desired; then, by the conjunction of destiny, success is achieved. Destiny and human exertion alike find their fulfillment through Time (the ordained course).”
जम्बुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a balanced view: one must continually exert effort (puruṣakāra/yatna), yet success also depends on destiny (daiva). Both are ultimately realized through Time (kṛtānta), the larger ordained order in which outcomes mature.
Jambuka observes people grieving intensely in a desolate place associated with death, especially those suffering separation from a beloved son. Moved by their affection and sorrow, he himself begins to weep, and then reflects on the relation between human effort, destiny, and Time.