Shloka 34
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Saṃvāda
Kṛpa’s Counsel on Destiny and Human Effort
तदस्माभि: पुनः कार्यमिति मे नैष्ठिकी मति: । हमारे पूछनेपर वे लोग अब हमारे लिये जो श्रेयस्कर कार्य बतावें, वही हमें करना चाहिये; मेरी बुद्धिका तो यही दृढ़ निश्चय है ।।
tad asmābhiḥ punaḥ kāryam iti me naiṣṭhikī matiḥ | anārambhāt tu kāryāṇāṃ nārthaḥ sampadyate kvacit |
Dijo Kṛpa: «Por tanto, debemos actuar de nuevo: ésta es mi convicción inquebrantable. Pues si ni siquiera se inicia una empresa, jamás se cumple propósito alguno en parte alguna. Pero aquellos cuyos fines no prosperan aun tras el esfuerzo, sin duda han sido abatidos por el destino; sobre esto no debe haber duda».
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛpa emphasizes that meaningful results require initiating action; mere hesitation yields nothing. At the same time, he acknowledges a limit to human effort: if success does not come even after proper exertion, it may be due to overpowering fate (daiva). The ethical thrust is toward resolute, responsible action rather than paralysis.
In the Sauptika Parva’s tense aftermath of the great war, Kṛpa advises his companions with a firm, practical resolve: they must decide and act. He frames the moment as one where inaction guarantees failure, while action is necessary—even if outcomes can still be constrained by fate.