Shloka 283
अध्याय ९ — धृतराष्ट्रस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति राजनित्युपदेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Counsel on Royal Policy to Yudhiṣṭhira
देवं पुरुषकारेण न शक््यमपि बाधितुम् । “हमारी समझमें तो यह दैवका विधान था। इसे कोई टाल नहीं सकता था। दैवको पुरुषार्थसे मिटा देना असम्भव है
devaṁ puruṣakāreṇa na śakyam api bādhitum |
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Ni siquiera con el esfuerzo humano es posible estorbar el decreto divino. A nuestro entender, esto fue ordenanza del destino; nadie podía evitarlo: el empeño del hombre no puede borrar lo que ha sido dispuesto por lo divino.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the tension between human agency (puruṣakāra) and divine ordinance (daiva): some outcomes are portrayed as fixed by a higher order, and mere personal effort cannot always overturn what is fated. Ethically, it cautions against pride in control and encourages humility and acceptance while still recognizing the value of right action.
Vaiśampāyana comments on events as being governed by daiva—suggesting that what occurred was not simply the result of individual choices but aligned with an unavoidable divine dispensation, which no one could successfully prevent.