Shloka 6

Daiva–Puruṣakāra Saṃvāda

Kṛpa’s Counsel on Destiny and Human Effort

Devanagari script

उत्थान चाप्यदैवस्य हानुत्थानं च दैवतम्‌ । व्यर्थ भवति सर्वत्र पूर्वस्तत्र विनिश्चय:

Transliteration

utthānaṃ cāpy adaivasya hānutthānaṃ ca daivatam | vyarthaṃ bhavati sarvatra pūrvas tatra viniścayaḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Kṛpa: «El esfuerzo sin el amparo del destino (daiva) se desvanece en vano; y el destino, si no va acompañado de esfuerzo, es igualmente estéril. En todas partes se discuten estas dos posturas, pero aquí el dictamen queda fijado: la primera es más sólida y más elevada; sin la concurrencia de la suerte, el mero empeño humano no alcanza el éxito».

Word by Word

• {'utthānam': 'rising up

• human effort/initiative', 'ca api': 'and also', 'adaivasya': 'of one without daiva

• lacking the aid of fate/providence', 'hā (hāniḥ)': 'loss

• failure (sense implied in contrast)', 'anutthānam': 'non-exertion

• inactivity', 'daivatam': 'destiny

• the factor of fate (daiva)', 'vyartham': 'vain

• ineffective', 'bhavati': 'becomes

• proves to be', 'sarvatra': 'everywhere

• in all cases', 'pūrvaḥ': 'the former (of the two positions mentioned)', 'tatra': 'therein

• in that matter', 'viniścayaḥ': 'settled decision

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kṛpa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Kṛpa frames the classic debate between daiva (providence) and puruṣakāra (human effort): each is ineffective when isolated. Yet he concludes that effort alone cannot guarantee success without the concurrence of destiny—highlighting humility about outcomes and the limits of agency.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sauptika Parva’s tense aftermath of the night massacre, Kṛpa reflects on causality and responsibility. His statement interprets unfolding events through the lens of fate and effort, suggesting that the catastrophic results are not explained by human action alone but by a larger providential force as well.