Shloka 32
अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः
Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’
बुद्धिमान, शूरवीर, मूढ़, डरपोक, गूँगा, विद्वान, दुर्बल और बलवान् जो भी भाग्यवान् होगा--दैव जिसके अनुकूल होगा, उसे बिना यत्नके ही सुख प्राप्त होगा ।। धेनुर्वत्सस्य गोपस्य स्वामिनस्तस्करस्य च । पय: पिबति यस्तस्या धेनुस्तस्येति निश्चय:,दूध देनेवाली गौ बछड़ेकी है या उसे दुहने अथवा चरानेवाले ग्वालेकी है; या रखनेवाले मालिककी है। अथवा उसे चुराकर ले जानेवाले चोरकी है? वास्तवमें जो उसका दूध पीता है, उसीकी वह गाय है--ऐसा विद्दानोंका निश्चय है
brāhmaṇa uvāca | buddhimān śūravīraḥ mūḍhaḥ darpokaḥ gūṅgaḥ vidvān durbalaḥ balavān ca—yo bhāgyavān bhaviṣyati, yasya daivaṃ anukūlaṃ bhaviṣyati, sa vinā yatnenaiva sukhaṃ prāpsyati || dhenur vatsasya gopasya svāminas taskarasya ca | payaḥ pibati yastasyā dhenus tasyeti niścayaḥ ||
El brahmán dijo: «Sea uno inteligente o heroico, necio o tímido, mudo, erudito, débil o fuerte: quien de veras es afortunado, a quien el destino favorece, alcanza la dicha aun sin arduo esfuerzo. Considerad la vaca que da leche: ¿es del ternero, del vaquero que la ordeña y la apacienta, del dueño que la guarda, o del ladrón que se la lleva? Los sabios concluyen: la vaca pertenece a quien en verdad bebe su leche».
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses the power of fortune (bhāgya/daiva): when destiny is favorable, happiness can come even without great effort. It then sharpens the ethical point with a proverb—real ‘ownership’ is often treated as belonging to the one who actually enjoys the benefit (the milk), exposing how power or access can override formal claims.
A Brahmin speaker delivers a didactic reflection in the Śānti Parva. He contrasts many human types (wise/foolish, strong/weak, etc.) to argue that outcomes depend heavily on daiva, and illustrates this with the example of a cow whose milk ends up with whoever drinks it, regardless of calf, herdsman, owner, or thief.