Shloka 20

Devanagari script

पौरुषं कर्म दैवं च फलवृत्ति: स्वभावत: । त्रय एते5पृथग्भूता न विवेक॑ तु केचन,कुछ विद्वान्‌ कहते हैं कि पुरुषार्थ, दैव और स्वभावसे अनुगृहीत कर्म--इन तीनोंके सहयोगसे फलकी सिद्धि होती है। ये तीनों मिलकर ही कार्यसाधक होते हैं। इनका अलग-अलग होना कार्यकी सिद्धिका हेतु नहीं होता है

Transliteration

pauruṣaṁ karma daivaṁ ca phalavṛttiḥ svabhāvataḥ | traya ete ’pṛthagbhūtā na vivekaṁ tu kecana ||

Translation

Some declare that the fruition of action arises naturally from the combined working of three factors: human effort, destiny, and innate disposition. These three bring about results only as an inseparable whole; taken separately, none is sufficient for success.

Word by Word

पौरुषम्human effort, manly exertion

कर्मaction, deed

दैवम्fate, divine dispensation

चand

फलवृत्तिःattainment/occurrence of result

स्वभावतःby nature, naturally

त्रयःthree

एतेthese

अपृथग्भूताःnot separate; united

नnot

विवेकम्separation, discrimination

तुbut, however

केचनsome (people)

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Results arise from the joint operation of human effort (pauruṣa), destiny (daiva), and innate nature (svabhāva). Treating any one factor as the sole cause is an incomplete view; effective action and its fruition depend on their combined interplay.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa delivers a philosophical clarification about causality and moral agency, explaining how success or failure in action is produced through multiple intertwined causes rather than a single isolated determinant.