Shloka 42
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
ततस्तमब्रवीच्छंखस्तपसेदं कृतं मया । मा च तेऊत्र विशंकाभूद् दैवमत्र विधीयते,तदनन्तर लिखितने चकित होकर अपने भाईको वे दोनों हाथ दिखाये। तब शंखने उनसे कहा--'भाई! इस विषयमें तुम्हें शंका नहीं होनी चाहिये। मैंने तपस्यासे तुम्हारे हाथ उत्पन्न किये हैं। यहाँ दैवका विधान ही सफल हुआ है
tatastam abravīc chaṅkhas tapasedaṃ kṛtaṃ mayā | mā ca te ’tra viśaṅkābhūd daivam atra vidhīyate ||
Then Śaṅkha said to him: “This has been accomplished by me through austerity. Let there be no doubt in you about this matter. Here, what is ordained by destiny is being brought to fulfillment.”
शंख उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reconciles human effort and destiny: disciplined austerity (tapas) can be the means through which what is divinely ordained (daiva) comes to fruition, so one should not be paralyzed by doubt.
Śaṅkha addresses another person to remove his uncertainty, asserting that the outcome has been achieved through Śaṅkha’s austerities and that the divine order is being fulfilled in this situation.