Shloka 15
Śikhaṇḍinī’s Marriage Arrangement and the Daśārṇa Envoy’s Accusation (शिखण्डिनी-विवाह-विप्रलम्भ-प्रसङ्गः)
दैवं हि मानुषोपेतं भृशं सिद्धयति पार्थिव | परस्परविरोधाद्धि सिद्धिरस्ति न चैतयो:,'भूपाल! पुरुषार्थसे संयुक्त होनेपर ही दैव विशेषरूपसे सिद्धिको प्राप्त होता है। दैव और पुरुषार्थमें परस्पर विरोध होनपर इन दोनोंकी ही सिद्धि नहीं होती
daivaṁ hi mānuṣopetaṁ bhṛśaṁ siddhayati pārthiva | parasparavirodhād dhi siddhir asti na caitayoḥ ||
Bhishma said: “O king, destiny becomes truly and powerfully effective when it is accompanied by human effort. But when fate and personal endeavor oppose one another, neither attains success.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Success arises when destiny (daiva) and human effort (puruṣārtha) cooperate; if they clash, neither yields results. The verse urges rulers to align action with circumstances rather than relying on fate alone.
In Udyoga Parva, Bhishma is giving political-ethical counsel to a kingly listener, emphasizing that wise action and divine allotment must work together for outcomes—an important principle in deliberations leading up to war.