Shloka 37
न म्रियेरन् न जीर्येरन् सर्वे स्यु:सर्वकामिन: । नाप्रियं प्रति पश्येयुरुत्थानस्य फले सति,यदि प्रयत्नका फल अपने हाथमें होता तो मनुष्य न तो बूढ़े होते और न मरते ही। सबकी समस्त कामनाएँ पूरी हो जातीं और किसीको अप्रिय नहीं देखना पड़ता
na mriyeran na jīryeran sarve syuḥ sarvakāminaḥ | nāpriyaṃ prati paśyeyur utthānasya phale sati ||
Narada said: “If the fruit of one’s exertion were entirely in one’s own hands, then people would neither grow old nor die. Everyone would obtain every desired object, and no one would ever have to encounter anything unpleasant.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Human effort (utthāna) is necessary but does not guarantee complete control over results (phala). If outcomes were fully controllable, aging, death, unfulfilled desires, and unpleasant experiences would not exist. The verse underscores the ethical need for steadiness, humility, and non-attachment regarding results.
Nārada is speaking in a didactic context within the Śānti Parva, using a hypothetical scenario to explain why people cannot secure every desired outcome through effort alone, thereby guiding the listener toward a realistic and dharmic understanding of action and its limits.