Shloka 21
भीष्मसेनापत्याभिषेकः
Bhīṣma’s Appointment as Commander-in-Chief
तस्मिन् यत्न: कृतो<स्माभि: स नो हीन: प्रयत्नतः । अकृते तु प्रयत्ने5स्मानुपावृत्त: कलिमहान्,“यद्यपि उसे टालनेके लिये हमारी ओरसे पूरा प्रयत्न किया गया, किंतु हमारे प्रयाससे उसका निवारण नहीं हो सका और जिसके लिये कोई प्रयत्न नहीं किया गया था, वह महान् कलह स्वतः हमारे ऊपर आ गया
tasmin yatnaḥ kṛto ’smābhiḥ sa no hīnaḥ prayatnataḥ | akṛte tu prayatne ’smān upāvṛttaḥ kalir mahān ||
“En ese asunto nos esforzamos; nuestro empeño no careció en absoluto de sinceridad. Pero, al no prosperar el intento, la gran contienda—que no habíamos buscado deliberadamente—se volvió por sí misma y cayó sobre nosotros.”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even sincere, complete human effort may fail to avert impending discord; when dharma is not upheld by all parties, conflict can arise seemingly of its own momentum, reminding one to act diligently yet recognize limits of control.
The narrator Vaiśaṃpāyana reflects that ‘we’ made a full attempt in a certain matter (contextually, efforts to prevent escalation), but despite not being negligent, the attempt did not succeed and a great quarrel/strife came upon them.